Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i Australian Homespun

THIS MONTH’S WINNER Frances Miller, from Moolap, Vic, for her adaptation of the Go Fetch project: “I incorporated the appliquéd puppies into my quilt, making the triangles and border fit around them. Very cute. The puppies came from Cori Blunt’s quilt, Go Fetch, which appeared in the October 2015 issue (Vol 16 No 10). I made it for my new grandson, Henry. I love your magazine, and I’m saving all my copies for future inspiration. When I retire, I’ll have more time for ‘playing’ in the sewing room – aahh, pure bliss.” Congratulations to Frances for her great effort. As the winner this month, she will be receiving the following prizes: • Knitted Nursery Rhymes book, by Sarah Keen, from GMC Publications. There are detailed designs for all the popular…

01 Sevenberry for Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Island Paradise’ RK412912 (Maize colourway). Distributed by Two Green Zebras. 02 Liberty Fabrics ‘Contemporary Classic’ Queue for the Zoo A (137cm wide). Distributed and sold by The Strawberry Thief. 03 Art Gallery Fabrics ‘Here Comes the Fun’ Improv Strokes Citrus HCF-59307, designed by Sew Caroline. Distributed by Craft Project – Charles Parsons. 04 Dashwood Studio ‘Serengeti’ D2286, designed by Elena Essex. Distributed by Two Green Zebras. 05 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Palm Canyon’ RK1745958 (Cactus colourway), designed by Violet Craft. Distributed by Two Green Zebras. 06 Dashwood Studio ‘Serengeti’ D2288, designed by Elena Essex. Distributed by Two Green Zebras. 07 Nutex Wholesalers ‘Kiwiana’ Mamaku 88010, Col 101. Distributed by Nutex Wholesalers. 08 FreeSpirit ‘Celebrate’ PWMO017.TRADI, designed by Kathy Doughty. Distributed by XLN Fabrics. 09 Art…

You are living for a short while in Germany, aren’t you? Yes, we are living here for five years at this stage – my husband is working in an International Christian boarding school here. Is that a culture shock for your Australian family, especially at Christmas? It’s strange having to get your head around winter at Christmas – not to have salads for Christmas lunch. How do you usually spend Christmas Day in Germany? As we have always done in Australia, go to church to celebrate the reason for Christmas – Jesus’s birth. And then, unlike in Australia, where we would normally spend the rest of the day with family, we go to some friends’ place for lunch, where we often have raclette – a local traditional cheesy grilled dish.…

Where do you live and work? I live on a housing estate in an English town. The town was originally built for the sole purpose of building steam trains to drive the locomotive revolution led by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. What is lovely about where I live is that it only takes 20 minutes by car to get to most places in the town and only 10 minutes to be in the countryside. And I do like to be in the countryside! I work mostly from my living room and kitchen table. What’s your family structure? I have a wonderful hubby and two grown-up children – Robwyn, 24, and Grant, 22 – and 4-year-old Hattie. She is such a livewire and she runs us ragged, but she really makes us laugh…

What does Christmas mean to you? Primarily, Christmas for me is a time to be thankful for the birth of Jesus and to reflect on how that event, 2,000 years on, has shaped my little life in rural Australia. As our children have grown up, Christmas has also become less and less about toys and gifts and more about spending time together as a family. Do you go all out at Christmas and then fall over the finishing line to a January holiday, or do you prefer something a little less frenetic? We try not to get too carried away with the consumer hype of Christmas. We are so fortunate to live in a wealthy country like Australia and, as a family, we quite honestly have all that we could…

MATERIALS • 50cm (20in) square of ivory linen (background) • 40cm (16in) square of fusible batting such as Pellon or Parlan • 2 1 / 2 in strip or fat sixteenth of white tone-on-tone print fabric (inner hexagons) • 12 squares, 2 1 / 2 in of assorted pink and green print fabrics (outer hexagons) • Six felt squares, 6 1 / 2 in in green, pink, beige, cream and light peach (flowers, petals and leaves) • 20 assorted buttons • 5cm (2in) diameter cream lace motif (clock centre) • DMC Stranded Embroidery Cotton in Medium Antique Mauve (316), Dark Beige Grey (642), Light Tawny (951), Green Grey (3053), Ultra Dark Dusty Rose (3350) and Very Light Dusty Rose (3716) • 19 hexagon papers, 1in or materials to make…

MATERIALS • 30 x 25cm (12 x 10in) cream handkerchief linen (background) • Scraps of print fabrics in red and green (appliqué) • 28 x 23cm (11 x 9in) fusible stabiliser such as Weaveline • Fusible web • 19 x 24cm (7 1 / 2 x 9 1 / 2 in) fusible thin batting such as Pellon • DMC Stranded Embroidery Floss in Very Dark Salmon (347), Dark Steel Grey (414), Very Light Avocado Green (471), Ultra Light Avocado Green (472), Very Light Blue (827), Very Light Carnation (894), Baby Blue (3755), Light Mocha Brown (3782), Straw (3821) and Light Grape (3836) and to match the appliqué fabrics • Two 12mm ( 1 / 2 in) red buttons (scissor hinge) • Two 6mm ( 1 / 4 in) buttons (pincushion…

MATERIALS • 20cm ( 1 / 4 yd) solid cream fabric (doll) • 30cm ( 3 / 8 yd) turquoise print fabric (nappy stacker) • Six rectangles, 22 x 28cm (8 1 / 2 x 11in) assorted fabrics – see Note (nappies) • Two fat quarters of assorted fabrics – see Note (changing mat) • 20cm (8in) square of pink spot print fabric (bottle top) • 8cm (3in) square of pink felt (cheeks) • Fat quarter of thin batting (optional) (changing mat) • Stranded embroidery cotton in black and pink • Doll hair or mohair yarn (doll hair) • 25cm (10in) ribbon (bow) • 50cm ( 1 / 2 yd) narrow ribbon (nappy stacker) • Two 20mm ( 3 / 4 in) wooden beads • 20cm (8in) of 6-8mm (…

TAPE-MEASURE RIBBON BOW By Lindsey Rhodes From LRstitched, www.lrstitched.com om RIBBON, BUTTON AND RICRAC By Cassie From Cassie Fairy, cassiefairy.com om POMPOM GIFT TOPPERS By Lia Griffi th From liagriff ith.com POMPOM HOLLY By Sophie From The Things She Makes, thethingsshemakes.blogspot.com PIPE-CLEANER GREETING By Sophie From The Things She Makes, thethingsshemakes.blogspot.com BUTTON GIFT TAGS By Lia Griffi th From liagriff ith.com RUDOLPH WRAP By Katrina Tauchen From Splash of Something, splashofsomething.com TREE-ON-THE-MOVE WRAP By Katrina Tauchen From Splash of Something, splashofsomething.com PAPER STRAW STARS By Katrina Tauchen From Splash of Something, splashofsomething.com YARN GREETING By Melanie From It Happens in a Blink, ithappensinablink.com STICK TREES WRAPPED IN THREAD By Claire Dalgliesh From Fellow Fellow, fellowfellow.com…

“There’s nothing better than seeing the look on someone’s face when you give them a handmade quilt as a gift – it’s priceless.” SUE BELLELI Quilted Hugs by Sue – Email: sbelleli@bigpond.net.au I’M MOST PROUD OF … “… my first ever quilt. It’s so badly made compared to how I make quilts now, but I love it. I didn’t have a pattern, just a picture of a quilt I liked on a calendar that I used as a guide. I hadn’t heard of rotary cutters (it was all cut out with scissors); my pinwheels didn’t have points; and my seams were all a bit off.” FABRIC FIRST “I seldom purpose-buy fabric for a quilt, as I get frustrated when I can’t find what’s in my head. So it’s really the…

MATERIALS • 25cm ( 1 / 4 yd) each of 21 assorted print fabrics – see Note (hexagons) • 2.5m (2 3 / 4 yd) floral print fabric (border) • 65cm ( 3 / 4 yd) solid green fabric (binding) • 2.1m (2 1 / 4 yd) extra wide backing fabric • Batting at least 260 x 205cm (102 x 81in) • Template plastic and permanent-marking pen • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Sewing machine with 1 / 4 in foot • General sewing supplies Finished size: 242 x 184cm (95 1 / 2 x 72 1 / 2 in) Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed. Requirements are based on fabric 107cm…

MATERIALS • 60cm ( 5 / 8 yd) solid orange fabric • 70cm ( 3 / 4 yd) solid turquoise fabric • 2m (2 1 / 4 yd) solid white fabric • 2.1m (2 1 / 4 yd) backing fabric • Batting at least 140cm (54in) square • Template plastic and fine-tipped permanent-marking pen • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Sewing machine with 1 / 4 in and free-motion feet • General sewing supplies Finished size: 122cm (48in) square Finished block size: 12in square Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed. Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide . A seam allowance of 1  / 4 in is used throughout. Instructions…

Samantha Dorn is the creative energy behind Aqua Paisley Studio. She’s a designer and quiltmaker, who lives in the Adelaide Hills, in South Australia. Over the past 20 years, she has worked in creative fields such as photography, writing, marketing, teaching and interior design. As a quiltmaker, Samantha looks to the world around her for inspiration: “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about colour, pattern, scale, proportion and all the wonderful elements associated with the world of design and quiltmaking,” she says. “Being exposed to creativity in so many different forms over the years has developed my appreciation for the creative process, and I love how quiltmaking stretches our creativity, teaches us new skills and nurtures our authentic voice.” Samantha believes every quilt has a story, and…

What does Christmas mean to you? Celebration and thankfulness for the gift of Jesus. Do you go all out at Christmas and then fall over the finishing line to a January holiday? No, our Christmases are very calm, relaxed, slow days. As only one of our children lives in the same state, and fortunately just a few streets away, we have a cosy lunch with her and her little family before they leave to visit her husband’s family. Then my husband and I watch a favourite movie, usually Lord of the Rings, and in the evening take a drive along the beach. Christmas is a stress-free day around here, and I find this allows all of us to enjoy the celebration in simplicity and joy. What’s your idea of the…

WHAT YOU NEED: • 8 ply (DK) cotton yarn in light grey, medium grey, peach, light orange, light yellow and light beige – see Note • 4.50mm (UK 7/US 7) crochet hook or size for the correct tension • Wool needle Finished size: hexagon approx 5.5cm (2 1 / 4 in) sides and 10cm (4in) across Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project. This is an intermediate skill-level crochet project. The technique used is ‘tapestry crochet’, which involves working the stitches over the non-working thread to carry it across and to give extra rigidity to the fabric. Choose a light and medium shade of one colour (eg grey as used here) plus a contrasting colour to achieve the 3D effect. (Anette used Drops Muskat Mercerized 100%…

Where do you live and work? We live in a suburb of San Francisco, California. Our house is old and tiny, but we recently expanded on the house to make an office/craft room for me. It’s sunny and bright and totally my happy place. What’s your family structure? I have two young daughters. My sewing room is kind of a magical room to my children. Since I frequently sew after they go to bed, they often rush into my sewing room as soon as they wake up in the morning. Their eyes light up when they find a new doll or softie. To them, sewing seems pretty magical. I know that I am going to really miss those moments as they grow older. Why this particular craft? I love to…

Ashford Wheels & Looms Ph: 1800 653 397, website: www.ashford.co.nz. Asia Discovery Tours Ph: (02) 9267 7699, website: asiadiscoverytours.com.au. Australian Country Spinners Ph: 1800 337 032, website: www.auspinners.com.au. BeBe Bold Ph: (02) 6621 9188, website: www.bebebold.com. Bernina Australia Ph: 1800 237 646, website: www.bernina.com.au. Berry Quilt & Co. Ph: (02) 4464 3387, website: www.berryquiltandco.com.au. Black Possum Fabrics Ph: (02) 4997 0866, website: www.blackpossumfabrics.com. Brother Australia Ph: 1300 880 297, website: www.brother.com.au. Carol’s of Midland Ph: (08) 9250 2722, website: www.carolsofmidland.com.au. Ceebee Quilts Ph: 0429 727 636, email: ceebeequilts@outlook.com. Connie’s Fabrics Ph: (02) 6562 7792, email: conniesfabrics@outlook.com. Constantine Quilts Ph: (08) 8825 6214, website: www.constantinequilts.com. Cross Stitch Corner Ph: (07) 4096 5109, website: cross-stitch-corner.com.au. Dragonfly Fabrics Ph: (08) 8948 0691, website: www.dragonfabric.com.au. Echidna Sewing Products Ph: (07) 3390 3600, website: www.echidnaclub.com.au.…

CHRISTMAS HAM MATERIALS • 40cm ( 1 / 2 yd) mottled brown fabric (ham body) • Large scraps of assorted brown and maroon print fabrics (cut end of ham) • Scrap of mottled light-mid brown fabric (shank) • Scrap of cream fabric (bone at cut end) • About 50 black 4mm ( 1 / 8 in) beads (cloves) • Stranded embroidery cotton in dark brown • Fibre fill • Paper for patterns • Ruler and pencil or fabric marker • Sewing machine (optional) • General sewing supplies Stitch used: Backstitch Finished size: 14cm high x 36cm long x 22cm wide (5 1 / 2 x 14 1 / 4 x 8 3 / 4 in) approx. Note: (both projects) Read all the instructions before starting the projects. The…

MATERIALS • 8 ply (DK) yarn: 30g parchment (jumper and cork strings); 29g mocha (bed roll, pipe, corks and boot uppers); 23g blue (trousers); 23g walnut (hat); 22g graphite (beard, hair, billy and boot soles); 12g light peach (face, hands and pipe tobacco); 12g cream (swag), 10g red (neckerchief, rear patch, checked patch and swag dots); 3g pistachio (rear patch and swag dots) – see Note • Small amount of black 8 ply yarn (eyes) • One pair each of 5.50mm (UK 9/US 5), 4.00mm (UK 8/US 6) and 3.25mm (UK 10/US 3) knitting needles • Fibre fill • Cotton bud (pipe) • One 4.00mm bamboo knitting needle, 25cm (10in) long (swag stick) • Fine crochet hook • Craft glue such as UHU • Craft scissors or small saw and…

What does Christmas mean to you? I grew up on a farm, and Christmas was always in the middle of harvest, so as a child, I looked forward to this one day off. My family always stayed home, and it was very relaxed. It’s the same now; we like to keep it very relaxed. Having a good time catching up with family is the most important thing. What’s your idea of the perfect summer holiday? The beach, lots of good food, reading, napping and a little knitting. Do you take the opportunity to do more or less stitching over the Christmas/holiday period? The lead up to Christmas is always so busy, with children finishing school and getting organised for Christmas, so as soon as it’s over, I have a list…

MATERIALS • 40cm ( 1 / 2 yd) antique gold and black shantung sateen fabric – see Note (piecing and top cap) • 25cm (10in) square each of ivory silk, turquoise brocade, aqua shot taffeta, three assorted black and white print fabrics and two black print fabrics (piecing) • 20cm ( 1 / 4 yd) black and white stripe print fabric (piecing) • 75cm ( 7 / 8 yd) cream homespun (cushion insert) • 15 x 25cm (6 x 10in) rectangle of heavyweight non-fusible interfacing • Lightweight machine-sewing thread in light grey (hand piecing) • 25mm (1in) brass ring • 5cm (2in) strips of thin scrap batting to total about 3.7m (4yd) in length when placed end to end – see Step 37 • Fabric glue pen such as Sewline…

Have you been stitching since you were a child? Yes. When I was little, my mum sewed most of our clothes, so there was always plenty of opportunity to mess about on the sewing machine. Do you remember your very first craft ‘triumph’? If so, what was it and did you keep it? Quilting skills didn’t exactly come easily to me, so I’m a great example of practice makes (nearly) perfect. Regardless of the imperfect points and wonky seams, I’ve always been proud as punch of each and every quilt I’ve made. Did you have professional training in stitching crafts? I’m completely self-taught, which is probably why it took me so long to get the hang of patchwork quilting. After my first class, I really did wonder why it had…

“I love overalls and I found these at a thrift store. They were way too big for me, but I wanted to find a way to use them. So I came up with this wall pocket idea,” says Angie Chavez, of Knick of Time. We think this funky, practical solution to repurposing work clothes is great, but we also love the way Angie has simply hooked the shoulder straps over a wooden hanger and suspended the whole thing on a barn-style wall. Yee ha! Contacts: Angie Chavez, Knick of Time – Blog: www.knickoftime.net; Instagram: www.instagram.com/knickoftimeinteriors; Facebook: www.facebook.com/KnickofTime…

What is your profession? I’m a product designer, goldsmith, stylist and photographer. What sorts of products do you design and for whom? I design mostly jewellery for girls of all ages and accessories and pieces from extra-thick wool and fabric yarn. Are you a professional photographer or is it a hobby, and what style are your photographs? I’m a professional photographer, and I style and shoot different products for clients. My personal style favourite is currently minimal and high key, but I also love darker and moody pictures. What’s the main objective of your blog? My blog acts as a portfolio of my photography, my style and the things I do and share, such as free craft tutorials. I share lots of free DIYs – mainly jewellery making and knit/crochet…

1. Lismore RAINBOW PATCHWORK Where’s Lismore: This subtropical city, located at the joining of the Richmond River and Leicester Creek, is the commercial heart of the Northern Rivers of NSW. Where in Lismore: 75 Union Street. Turn off the Bruxner Highway into South Lismore. We are on the opposite side of the road to the railway station and right next to the post office. Who plays host: Karen and Glenda are able to assist you with all your patchwork needs. Worth visiting because: We are a bright and colourful specialist patchwork store with about 3,000 bolts of fabric and a beautiful range of Aurifil threads, along with products, tools and notions for your patchwork needs, including a range of wide-back fabrics and battings. We keep the whole Jinny Beyer Palette,…