Welcome to Precious Time

New Classes with Kyleigh and Bev

It is time once again for Kyleigh’s next Gift of Love class this Saturday 9 March.  Kyleigh has made these delightful little zipper purses from Atkinson Designs.  They are just perfect for your handbag/sewing bag in which to carry any number of items – I think they would be perfect to pop in your pocket especially when going to the movies – room enough for a credit/eftpos card, mobile phone and a little change for a drink or popcorn.  Of course they would be perfect to hold a thimble, needles and embroidery scissors.  The bigger purse could even hold some paper pieces and pre cut fabrics for the times you are stuck waiting in the school queue or at sports training. 

 

This twin purse is just to cute..........

Kyleigh will show you how easy it is to pop in a zip and how once you know the tips and tricks you can then make your little purse as big as you like.  These are a winner for me – I absolutely love these little cash and carry’s to hold all manner of items. 

 

This is a great class also for any little sewers (high school age min.) as they would make perfect gifts for girlfriends and family.  If you would like to join Kyleigh for this fantastic class please call the shop to book your pink chair.

The second class is very exciting -  machine quilting class with Bev McClune.  This class is open to all quilters interested in domestic machine quilting regardless of current ability.  Bev believes that machine quilting is as individual as we are.  Beginners to machine quilting will be shown start - stop lines of stitching, play around with free motion quilting and how to transfer easy designs on their quilt without marking.  Bev will also share some easy designs that can be practiced at home to improve skills learnt during the class.

For ladies that have skills with free motion work Bev will move them into learning a skill that they are wishing to master for example – designing spaces and filling these spaces with background quilting.  Bev will also demonstrate the basics of feathers and how they are formed (formal/informal or anyway you wish).  Feathers can fit any space on a quilt and over the weekend you will cover many variations of these.

 

Bev has a very hands approach in her classes so there is lots of demonstrating and copying.  She finds this method the most successful for ladies to grasp the many and varied techniques covered over the two days.

 

If you would love to improve your quilting skills this is a must do class.  Places are limited to ensure that Bev is able to spend quality time with everyone so please call the shop to book your pink chair.  Guaranteed to be a very creative and inspiring class for all who attend.

I leave you with a quote from Walt Disney "It's kind of fun to do the impossible".  

Happy stitching........lisa

Kids klass - kool skool pencil case

On Friday Kyleigh is taking a kids class in a kool skool pencil case. In this class young stitches will learn how to insert a zipper and work with plastic coated fabrics. They also make great make up bags and are fantastic gifts for friends and family. Hit the new skool year with a designer pencil case that you have made yourself. Call the shop to reserve a place - cost is $25.00 which includes all materials and tuition.

16/01/2013

Sorry everyone there was a little glitch with the image for Michele's William Morris Garden. I hope it works ok this time.

Have some new fabrics to share with you but have to spend some time on the class list first. If it gets too late tonight I will have to post tomorrow - keep you in suspense.

If you are looking for a good laugh I can highly recommend Quartet. I went last night with a friend and we had the most marvellous time watching this film. A must see. Anyway off to work now.

See you soon..........happy stitching.........Lisa

Christmas is on my mind...

If you are looking at starting your Christmas gift sewing then come along and join us on Sunday as we spend the day working on a variety of Christmas projects.  The newest addition to arrive at the shop is this delightful quilt made from a layer cake and friends.  If you make the same size quilt as ours you will end up with two  – the perfect gift for a friend or family member. 

 

These gorgeous little tags attached to the quilt pass on the best for the Christmas Season to your lucky receipent.

Patrina has been busily sewing as always and delivered this gorgeous swag to the shop to help us decorate and get into the Christmas spirit. 

New buttons from our friend Barb of Theodora Cleave have arrived and I whipped up this delightful tag from Marg Low designs. 

Seriously - it only took a few hours one morning and I am so thrilled with it I can’t wait to make some more for those special people in my life.

 

Sorry this post is short and sweet but am suffering from the flu (gift for the day) and the words just seem to be swimming around in my head in a haze.  Going to take some drugs (prescription of course) and head to bed - that was last night - as you can see I never finished the post.  The days seem to be passing so quickly at the moment - I can't keep up.

Will be back soon with a stunning quilt from our Dali Lama of quilting.  See you then and stay healthy…….lisa

 

Simple Bargello

Come and join Amanda as she takes you on the lilting path of the Bargello quilt.  This is perfect for anyone looking to make a quilt for the man in her life. This is a two-day class to be held on Saturday 27 October and Sunday 28 October, starting at 10.00am and finishing at 4.00pm.  Amanda is a patient, quite and skillful quilter who will happily guide you along the orderly path that a bargello requires.  If you would like more information or to book a place please call the shop.

William Morris + Michele Hill = fabulous class not to be missed

 Michele’s quilting journey began in the early 1970’s, but with the birth of two daughters quilting was put on hold.  She became completely hooked after a one-day class “Log Cabin in a Day” the Eleanor Burns way.  So with this passion now reignited she produced her first “real quilt” in 1987 –  and so began her love affair. 

Baltimore quilts have always fascinated Michele but worried that her work was not perfect, she looked to the machine and blanket-stitching.  In 1997 she had the opportunity to visit the V & A and it was there that her obsession with William Morris began.  When she returned home to Adelaide she discovered that the Art Gallery houses the largest collection of William Morris furnishings outside of the United Kingdom.  Since then most of Michele’s quilts have been inspired by William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movements. 

With an impressive list of Quilting Awards along with two very successful books on William Morris Applique, we are thrilled to be hosting Michele for this wonderful workshop in February 2013.

The flowers grown in the gardens of William Morris have inspired “A William Morris Garden”.  The designs have an Art Nouveau style with a touch of Eugene Grasset.  Grasset was a Swiss decorative artist living in Paris who worked in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque.  He was considered to be the pioneer of Art Nouveau design.

 

During this class Michele will also share her knowledge of the homes and gardens of William Morris.  She may (if we are lucky) share some tidbits of her recent William Morris tour of England. 

If you would like to share in this fabulous weekend workshop with Michele please contact the shop for further information.  Places will be limited.  

Enjoy your weekend....I hope you find some time to play with gorgeous fabrics......lisa

Here comes Christmas.....

“Christmas is just around the corner”  the gentle breeze whispers and it makes me shudder at the thought of how quickly the year has flown by.  I have a girl just about ready to leave High School – it can’t come quickly enough for her or me at the moment.  The stress caused by the end of the year has me walking a tightrope at the moment as I gently remind her that it won’t be long and it will all be over - thank goodness! My other gorgeous girl has recently changed high schools and is currently settling into a new routine and friendships.  Such a brave thing to do, leave familiar surroundings and friendships to search for something better.

 

So with Christmas creeping into our thoughts “Christmastime” by Annie Downs has arrived at the shop.  Soft pinks, blues, greens and browns with sweet little Christmas themes will have you searching for the perfect pattern to make stockings, quilts and wall hangings - just to get you started.  To go hand in hand with these fabrics Annie has produced a lovely panel that would make an absolutely fabulous Christmas swag or Advent Calendar. Fat 1/8 packs have been cut, bundled and tied and are irresistible when teamed with the panel. 

We are having a  “Here comes Christmas” project day on Sunday 14 October starting at 8am in the morning with a homemade brunch.  After which you will have a choice of 3 projects – Santa Surprise designed by our friend Majella from Kookaburra Cottage or a Christmas Swag or Tree using the panel from Annie Downs Christmastime range.  We have a selection of two colourways for Majella’s Santa Surprise – soft pretty pinks and reds or traditional country reds and greens..  

Come join us and make a head start on your Christmas projects.......of course there will be more gorgeous Christmas projects and ideas to share with you on the day......

Creative juices are flowing.......

We are truly blessed to have a wonderful Mary Ryan’s bookshop here in town.  Leanne and her staff provide us with not only the best of new fiction but also with stunning books on travel, interior design, cooking, knitting and crochet, art – the list goes on.  Leanne also has a great sense of style and always has a lovely selection of gifts available in the bookstore along with great coffee – my morning pick me up stop.  A few weeks ago the store had a fantastic array of knitted tea cosies in the window, which, have, since been shipped to their next destination – but here are some of them for your pleasure.  I am looking forward to the next window display………

 

Still on the subject of gorgeous – Sheena Chapman has sent another of her quilts that is on offer for Quilting on the Downs – Fandango.  The name suits is perfectly.  We are so excited that Sheena will be visiting us as her style of quilting has a charming vintage feel about it.  What makes it more exciting - Sheena is to  be featured on the next cover of Quiltmania – an accomplishment that she is extremely proud of.  So if you would like to share some time with a great Australian quilt maker than book a place in her class on Saturday/Sunday 29&30 September. 

 

Our Dali Lama has been very busy for the past few weeks as some of her dearest stitching partners in crime have been away overseas.  She has also been battling her own illness and so has put this time to the best use possible – quilting. 

Kay purchased the majority of the fabrics for this quilt from our lovely friend Sue when she used to own Timeless Threads in Mittagong - so even our Dali Lama has unfinished quilts in her RC that are aging. Good to know.

Kay has finished Tokyo Flight.  Kay purchased the majority of the fabrics for this quilt from our lovely friend Sue when she used to own Timeless Threads in Mittagong - so even our Dali Lama has unfinished quilts in her RC that are aging. This gives me some comfort.  

Kay is now working on the borders of Wendy Williams, Growing Up, both of these stunning quilts have been totally hand stitched – not a single machine stitch, which is a credit to Kay.  I hope you enjoy watching their progress as much as we do…………

The brave may not live forever, but the caustious don't live at all.....unkown.

Until next time.......lisa

Quilting on the Downs 2012

Finally the Quilting on the Downs flyer is ready to be sent out.  Majella has presented an absolutely wonderful flyer that will have you wanting to book into every class this year.  The quality of guest tutors visiting are presenting a stunning array of quilts that will have you discovering, learning and challenging yourself on your quilting journey.  Please email the shop so that we can send (via post) a copy of the program to you.   At the moment I am unable to download it or email it to you because of the format it is presented in – very old-fashioned, I know, but a yummy feast for the eyes in colour and perfect to sit and read with a cuppa – especially on these cold mornings. 

As you will see we have some of our favourite tutors visiting us again this year – Kathy Doughty, Marg Sampson, Wendy Williams just to name a few and we are so pleased to be welcoming two new tutors this year – Brigitte Giblin and Sheena Chapman.  Majella and I spent a weekend with Brigitte just recently and had the most fabulous time – our creative juices are flowing and we are still on a buzz with our fingers and stitching souls wanting to do nothing more than stitch and create delicious quilts.  The previous post is all about our weekend away – have a look if you haven’t already read about our adventure.

 

Sheena Chapman has been teaching patchwork for over 20 years and specializes in combining traditional blocks with contemporary fabrics to produce individual quilts.  If you are looking to move forward and outside of your comfort zone then come and join Sheena in No Strings Attached as she takes you on a journey of building a quilt without a pattern - pictured above is Paper Moon and the quilt below is her latest creation (sorry I don't have a name for you). This will be a class filled with fun, colour and creativity - not to be missed.

 

I hope you can find somewhere warm and sunny to do some stitching and feed your sewing soul.  

 

The Birds and the Bees (and the flowers and the trees.......)

Is there any better way to spend the weekend then with friends whilst your sewing soul starts a new creative journey?   Majella and I had the pleasure of being students (which was fantastic) for the weekend, participating in a class with Brigitte Giblin.  We were surrounded by Brigitte’s beautiful quilts on the walls, had her expert advice and guidance all of which helped us build the start of a stunning quilt. 

I have decided that I need to make this for my new sewing room..........so I have started collecting fabrics - yum, yum, yum.......

I have always loved clamshell quilts - this one looks doable - don't you agree.....

Just another for the to do list............

This is Brigitte's Rare Birds - what we had all been looking forward to ..............

I am absolutely thrilled with the centre of my Rare Birds quilt, which was chosen and pinned to the background before I was allowed to go to bed.  My stick-ability was at an all time high although my taskmaster was tucked up in bed with her eyes closed.  I do have to admit that it was an uplifting feeling going to bed with our centres pinned to the curtains of our hotel and to wake up in the morning seeing them, knowing that we were still thrilled with our choices made us feel joyous.  

 

A wonderful way to start the day.  I know you must be thinking, what did we do for the second day – some ladies continued on with Rare Birds while the rest of us started another project.  I know, I know – Kay stated that we should be certified – adding that there were probably more sane people than us – some of whom were certainly locked up.   What was the point in being a quilt maker if we didn’t make quilts – there was nothing that said we had to finish them all?  Isn’t that what makes our sewing soul jump a beat – seeing a new quilt that takes our breath away or finding the absolute perfect piece of fabric that will be the beginning of our next quilt. 

This centre belongs to our Dali Lama................ 

Brigitte showed us her method of tacking hexagons, which was a big learning curve for me.  I have always tacked through the paper but Brigitte has a fantastic method of tacking – so I held my breath, opened my mind and heart and tried a new technique.  Brigitte has method and reasoning to her technique, which she happily shared with all in class.  It was wonderful to see Majella cutting holes in her fabric, taking to the new method like a duck to water, (she previously scoffed at hexagons and refused to stitch through paper!) and she is now totally addicted to hexagons. Finally I have a hexagon sister to join me in my journey and love of English paper piecing.  She is looking at every fabric with hexagon eyes.

 

Brigitte is joining us in September for Quilting on the Downs and after the weekend spent with her we can highly recommend that you join her for what will be a memorable weekend – guaranteed.

  

 

Arriving on the doorstep today – in the rain and wind – was Birds and the Bees from the very talented Tulla Pink.  Majella and I fell in love with this range the moment our favourite boys flounced it on the table.  They also had in their fabulous bag of tricks this absolutely delicious quilt made by Tula.  The back of the quilt will literally take your breath away….hope you are ready………

 

Isn't is just fantastic.....anyway here is the front of the quilt........

We are currently cutting fat quarter packs of the complete range – I repeat absolutely delicious and I am sure that I can hear it calling my name – wanting to go home with me.  So what is my favourite print – ta dah  - how could you not love it.

Our Dali Lama of quilting brought in some current projects looking for some friends that could go home with her to further inspire her quilts.  She is currently working on a Wendy Williams quilt, Lazy Susan....

 

Along with a quilt that she started quite some time ago – back when Sue Ross owned Timeless Treasures in Mittagong.  Kay was not only looking for border fabrics but a name for her quilt and for the moment has settled on Tokyo Flight – I think it suits it perfectly.

 

The hour is late and and I still have the images to edit so I will have to leave it until tomorrow morning.  It is still raining here – not hard but soft, drizzly rain that just keeps falling.   All good for the garden but sad for families on holidays – especially mums trying to keep their children happy and occupied in the current weather conditions.  I hope you packed your stitching. 

 

Remember to feed your sewing soul – it will lighten your heart. 

Till next time………….lisa