Monday, December 26, 2016

NEW WEBSITE

I finally have a website to my name

My blog continues over there together with information about my teaching schedule, publications, and lots more.

Best Wishes,
Judy

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Of Liberty and Alice

Its been a busy time this last 6 months, travelling all over the country.  I've had some wonderful classes in Albury at Avonleigh Country Quilting, in Sydney with Gerri, who is the new owner of Cottage Quiltworks, Melinda at Quiltsmith and over to Perth to Calico and Ivy, together with my usual teaching days in Victoria at Treehouse Textiles, Millrose Cottage,  Patch N Quilt in Gisborne, the new Cutting Cloth in Fairfield and The Quilters Patch in Moorabbin.  Next year is shaping up to be a busy one, travelling north again to the lovely Precioustime Quilting in February and many other places as well.

I think it is time I got myself organised so I will have a website next year from which I will list all my teaching appointments for the year ahead and there will be a shop, selling my templates for a couple of my patterns.  The stockists of my patterns will be listed for the purchase of my patterns.
I intend to pop a few other things on there that I make from time to time.

The title of this post has a particular significance.  My Liberty Alice quilt has been chosen by Liberty of London to appear in the 140th anniversary book to be published early in 2016.  I am so excited by this, I have been sewing with Liberty fabrics since I discovered it when I was 15 and have loved and collected it ever since, so quite a treat to have been picked.  My daughter who is living in London at the moment will, no doubt, be able to purchase one from the source.

Just to finish off, wishing you all a very happy Christmas or any other celebration that might be yours and all the very best for 2016.

Judy



Saturday, May 30, 2015

THERE AND BACK AGAIN!


Whenever you plan a trip overseas, the preparation and excitement seems to occupy all your time and thoughts many months prior to the trip.  Include in those thoughts, a hatred if not a fear of flying long distances and being stuck up there, the decision to go on a long trip is not easily made!
However, I had a good reason to go with two children living in Europe, a visit was a necessity.

I spent time in London with my daughter, then we together flew to Florence to visit my son who is finishing his studies there at Monash Prato.  It was all a little surreal.  My friend from Australia, Lorraine and I were together exploring London while our daughters were working during the day.  We visited many beautiful patchwork shops,  Liberty of London, goes without saying, Hever Castle in Kent and  The Globe Theatre.  The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold.  We visited the amazing Antique Textile Company in Hampstead and both made a little, or not so little, purchase.  I was invited to teach the Dilly Bag and Emma Mary at the beautiful Tikki Patchwork in Kew Gardens and finally met Tiina who I have been following on IG for ages.  We also visited a beautiful fabric shop in Islington called Ray Stitch.

Florence with my children was a highlight, I had been there when I was 20 but saw it through very different eyes this time.  My son, living there for months, knew the lay of the land and took us to places we might not have otherwise seen.  Like inside the beautiful homes that he and his friends are leasing for their stay there, 600 year old buildings with magnificent interiors, hardly student digs!
We then all caught the train to Venice, a place I was very keen to see again, having read avidly on the history of how Venice came to be built in the first place.  It was a wonderful experience and before I knew it, I was back again!

I like to now imagine where my children are living, I know their homes and their environment and where they work and study.  I feel more connected with them when they are so far away and that makes me happy.

Here are some photos I took during the trip.






Wednesday, April 1, 2015

LONDON CALLING


My daughter "Emma Mary" has been living and working in London since last September.
Missing her so much so I have decided to pay her a visit and to my son, leaving today for Florence for a university semester at Monash Prato.  Easy decision to make that one!  I have been very lucky to have been invited to do a workshop at Tikki Patchwork in London and Karen Lewis Textiles in Leeds.   The workshops will be in late April, link on to the shops for details.

These are the projects you can chose from.


Squares Dilly Bag, at Tikki London



Emma Mary


French Market Medallion - Applique centre


I will also be bringing along my Liberty Alice quilt and pattern books




















































































































Tuesday, January 6, 2015

LIBERTY ALICE

My first resolution of the year is to blog more.  Famous Last words.
There is always the temptation to sew more, cook less, blog less, exercise less.  There is always another quilt calling and I never have to talk myself into starting a new quilt.  Luckily my children are of an age where the rudimentary cooking lessons I gave them and less rudimentary cooking books for birthday presents, are now in use, which gives me more time for sewing, just as I planned!

My latest diversion quilt wise has been the Liberty Alice quilt or Alice in Libertyland, not yet decided on the name.

I knew of the range celebrating the 150 anniversary of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland being published and.  I have been collecting "Alice" fabrics for many years now and even have an original print from the 1950's which I treasure.  It was just a matter of time before I made this quilt and the Alice range from Liberty of London was the decider.    The drawings in the book by John Tenniel so remind me of my childhood readings of my very old book.  The quilt is now finished and I will be teaching it in Sydney at Cottage Quiltworks in January.  Here are a few photos starting from early ideas and drawings.











Monday, September 22, 2014

DILLY BAG ALONG

The Dilly Bag Along has started!  
Angie over at Gnome Angel has been very busy organising everything and many thanks to her for her organisation.  She is a whizz.
I have made another Dilly Bag,  which I certainly don't need (I have lots in various styles and colours), but I have photographed the progress of making the bag for you to look at if you need assistance.

The first two photos are the laying out of the fabrics in a pleasing manner!  Then sewing them all together to make a tube.







Next the base is sewn onto the hexies by first pinning the four quarter marks of the base and attaching it to the four quarter marks of the tube.




 Next take the two 9" circles of batting and sandwich the 8" diameter templastic between the two and stitch around the edge as shown.
Prepare the pocket section by positioning the pockets as in the pattern and stitching through the batting along both sides and right across the bottom.

Stitch down the side of the inside lining to make a tube and sew the base on and a 9" circle of batting for padding marking the four quarter marks as before to help with positioning.

Put the templastic sandwich into the hexagon bag, fitting it snugly.  Then insert the lining section of the bag, again fitting it in snugly.  
Place the ruffle section over the outside of the bag and line it up with the top of the hexies, trimming off the excess as shown. 


Sew the ruffle on after trimming then press it up.  Turn the edge over and press then turn down to the inside of the bag just over the seam and stitch in the ditch on the outside.


Making sure the pockets on the inside are facing each other, position the ribbon or trim and pin it onto the ruffle top, turning under on each side to leave place for the cord.  Stitch into place.
 If you have used a checked top like me, make sure you sew carefully along the lines of the check so that it looks even.  I have positioned my cat ribbon a little lower so that I will get a prettier ruffle at the top.   Cut the cord in half and thread through each side.
Voila!  You have finished your dilly bag and I hope you enjoy using it.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

DILLY BAG ALONG

Still very busy with the dear and close to my heart, Judy's Dilly Bag!

The lovely Angie from Gnome Angel has had the brilliant idea of A Dilly- Bag-Along with my dilly bag pattern.  

Angie started The Fussy Cutters Club earlier this year as a way of connecting people who love fussy cutting and to show each other their fussy cut projects.    She has organised a group of bloggers involved for a blog hop with a start date of 22nd September and running until 24th October.  

To join in, participants can purchase a pattern for the Dilly Bag from here  or go into my "Stockists" to purchase a paper pattern.  Everyone will start making the bag and post their progress.  We will get to see all the fabrics and styles and at the end there will be prizes and I will have a little contribution to that as well!

Those of you who like Instagram can post their photos using the hashtag #dillybagalong and we can all get to see photos there too.  I will post further information as it comes to hand and in the meantime I am showing you a few photos of dilly bags I have made in recent months.   I admit to a slight obsession, but thats all!