What are you doing on a Sunday morn?

Well, I am going to the Camberwell Market to meet up with some crafty thrifty types

via Brown Owls

Do you want to come? Please do - I don't know anyone else whose going, but that is half the fun!


Now, What will I be hunting for?....maybe some chenille? maybe some buttons? maybe vintage trim?

I know I will be needing my new Tubeway Armies!!


These are just delightful - made by Gaye Abandon on Madeit - deliciously warm and practical recycled woollen jumpers and I just LOVE Cherry red!


Also got this pair, cos I just LOVE Charcoal grey! This is my 'Black'. No more frozen fingers at the puta or sewing machine!

Sorry Gaye, I did have to remove the name tag (and resew a hole in the seam)! Little disappointed with having to resew an item I paid a bit of money for, but there you go, life gets a bit holey sometimes!



Just so I don't get sued: Every single photo in this post is the property of GayeAbandon - I just nicked them cos I am too lazy to shoot my own!

The Nest

The Nest

My DQS6 for PWMG

As the label says - this one was for Helen, of Patchy Work of Mini Grey (have to find out where that title comes from!) - I felt good about it, only right at the very end - the process was a struggle for me this time round - put a bit of pressure on myself cos Helen is super talented and deserved something of quality and lots of COLOUR!

Got a little hint from a comment by her that she liked the colours - so onwards I went. All of the top fabric is Nest by Tula Pink and I had this design in my head for months and months - I knew how I wanted it to look, but the execution - oh my - I was flying by the seat of my pants! I just sewed and cut and sewed and cut and somehow, It Worked.

I like the back set of fabrics too - it reminds me of William Morris' Strawberry Thief.

Quilted with Perle thread - got to match the greens and the strong pink - and I liked the idea of the echo quilting - I think it gives it movement.

I can imagine the eggs nestled in their nest, swaying in the breeze.

Makes me hungry for some fried eggs on toast LOL!

Fruit and veg

Finally a bit more on the 1 of 2 quilts I am making for the Bushfire Quilting Bee, first held in March, next day on 23rd May - coming up quick - I had better pull my socks up!

fruit and veg collection are by Martha Negley

love the border fabric- colour? circles? I don't know why exactly, just do.

all the colours are so vibrant - maybe the recepient is a vegie grower and will just love it too!

My Giveaway with SEWN

Did the last post get the hungers going? Thought I had better get some sort of giveaway eye-candy for you guys.

This sweet little package is going to go to someone on Monday 8th June - the launch date for SEWN -(see last post)


Let me see now, there are:

5 fat quarters of vintage fabric
(actually some are much larger than that, but that just means it's your lucky day)

1 m of very pretty trim

1 quilt pattern 'Pinata' by The Quilt Branch - quilt measures 47" square

Would love to hear from you if you'd like them: just comment to your heart's content - I shall read them all!

Edit: Giveaway now closed!! Good luck to everyone!

The seed is SEWN

SEWN by Sarah Fielke is fast becoming THE blog of the sewing circle year! Big Words - but I expect big things will happen - Sarah (ex-Material Obsession) now The Last Piece is having a ginormous Blog Launch Giveaway and so am I!!!

This is the speal:

SEWN is new and innovative online quilting and sewing community for all lovers of fabric crafts. We have Tips and Innovative Tools to help with your projects, an Advice Centre for all your sewing questions, online forums and chats, and information on your local shops, sewing groups, quilt groups and classes.

SEWN will feature designers and shops from Australia and New Zealand, as well as the latest from the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan.

There will be articles, interviews and tutorials from industry experts, competitions and free patterns! We’ll even be reporting via podcast from craft shows around Australia and the USA.

It’s going to be way too much fun! Get excited with me - join in our giveaway, maybe win some fantastic prizes, sign up to the SEWN Club for all the latest news and offers from SEWN and our partners, read my blog to keep up to date on all the SEWN news, and get ready for the official launch of SEWN in June 2009.

Happy SEWiNg!

Sarah Fielke, Creative Director
www.thelastpiece.net

I've joined up and so will be having a SEWN giveaway on Monday 8th June, along with many others - Wahooooooo!

Stay tuned for some super yummy stuff that I am going to scrounge out of my far-too-much stash - would anyone like some soft and pretty vintage fabric, maybe some ribbon and maybe a pattern or two?

Of course you would. I know I do. Edit: go here for some treats!

Beauty in the eye....

Beauty was in my eye today.....



Beautiful Autumn day in Melbourne....amongst the trees and the sky.....





Walking and riding along a beautiful dappled path .....



Beautiful houses...not all to my taste...but beautiful none the least.....



and NOT so beautiful....can you believe someone is paying a lot of money to build this? Hubbie suspects that this is the work of Antarctic Scientists, who have build it to withstand the harsh and relentless (semi-temperate) climate.






Happy happy with my DQS6 quilt for.....a swap partner who does the most beautiful art with patchwork.....can't say who yet!!

It has taken me a long time to be at peace with this one. I think I am there. Finally.





Full shot once received. Promise.

things I got for a song

Thanks so much to Tamara for picking my name for her Ella and Kate giveaway - lovely pure white ribbon bow - my girls will die when they come home from school -'Sharing please'- will be my mantra - or maybe I just need to get one more - should have ordered one at the time!!! D'oh!

Another big score - this time at Amitie - 50% off on a few selected bolts - I bought the whole bolt on this one......a Kokka gauze....maybe a skirt?


....Anna Maria Horner $10 / m - had to get the rest of the bolt too! Look at what Ashley did with her large print....could me do that too?


....some lovely Kaffe i didn't have....just some squares
....some super lovely AB Temple Flowers - big piece had lots of holes fussy cut out of it $5!!

I felt and surely looked like a bag-lady by scrounging around in a big cardboard box of scraps - pulling out this and that - even large lengths of fabric - "how much is this?" - $20 a metre - well, I thought, surely fabric in a scrap box is reduced?? No?? NO. Okay - that goes back and that.

don't put it in the SCRAP box if it's not a SCRAP - okay rant over.


Remiss of me to neglect talking about another thing I won - A Luckie from Tinniegirl


Lots of papery bits and pieces for collaging and scrapbooking and general ooh and aahing - I would love for Cathy to show some ideas for our Luckies - I'm not a naturally gifted paper ideas girl.


This caught my eye - I am a bit of a romantic:



Here is Ruby - our foster greyhound - we have her for 3 weeks, teaching her how to be a good citizen of suburbia and general household living - ie - what are stairs? Do I go through the glass door or around it? Do I chew the door or your shoes?

It has been interesting to say the least - she was tested at the GAP kennels as being "good around cats" - well, Not in this house -she would love a little bit of Cat Dinner, so, very strict rules about keeping our cat and the dog separated At. All. Times.

She is a lovely dog who just needs a bit more time spent on her with house rules ie please don't wee again on the carpet, please don't bully your way through the door, please don't eat the guinea pigs, please don't wee Again on the carpet.....oh dear...I'm not painting a very good picture of her.....she needs love and more love...we love to love her....but she will be going back.


Edit: i think she is looking at this pile as 'snack time' - found an eaten LIBRARY book - can't fudge that one at work!!

Vintage stash and goodies

I haven't done Sunday Stash (see sidebar) for quite awhile, so being Sunday and a very wintery 14 degrees and blowy, I did a little cutting:

Some little vintage goodies for the Vintage Sheet Swap - I had to actually cull some I got so carried away - I think I shall send 36 little packages (in one big bag!) folded as requested like so.....




here are some of my favourites.......






do you see the delightful old gold velour couch they are resting on - that story is for another post I promise!!



I think also I can request some particulars.....so 'no brown' for me please Cg! There is something about brown quilts that I cannot figure - I just can't bear them! Sorry any lovers of brown!



My other lovely goodies are from Lulabell that came with my oh so wonderful doll quilt.

I love this cloud fabric - perfect for dreaming!

That girl is one clever cookie!

Sorry for my continual skiting!! It is all totally intentional...lol!

Heather Ross Rocks

After reading Chaletgirl's post on her love for HR - I love CG's quilt - so darn cute! and Damm it, she has some Far Far Away - that elusive new range by HR - could be one of her best and I can't find it anywhere (a little on etsy - but not the ones I want)

I want: Unicorns, Princesses atop mattresses,Frogs on lillypads in so many different colourways, sob, .....like Chaletgirl, .........sob

I read somewhere that maybe end of May people will get some shipments - but the frenzy may just increase exponentially because everyone wants what they can't have!!


A HR search found some lovely babushka prints and flower chain prints as a giveaway - on The Creative Juices of Ariel - sponsored by Down Shadow Lane Fabrics

Image from The Creative Juices of Ariel

I love the blush flowers and the babushkas - one more to add to my own HR collection, if I'm lucky!.

Doll Quilt Swap 6 ' Score!'

I don't watch sport and am not generally interested in anything that resembles competitive sport, but I can't help myself yelling

"SCORE!" as if I kicked the last winning goal straight through the middle posts
(AFL thoughts here)

I have been given the most beautiful doll quilt in this swap!

this is by Hayley of Lulabell










Most talented quilter and a fellow Kaffe Fassett admirer! I think she only just starting machine quilting too - beautiful pattern and the colours and the details....on the wall it has to go!

Oops - I forgot to take photos of her other pressies - some great KF fabric - which I don't have so

"Score" again

and a simply lovely eyemask, which Hayley made herself - truly great!

Cheers to you Hayley, and thank you too for the lovely card (did you make it?) Hope we can keep in Bloggy touch!

Piccies of these will definitely come - computer and email and photo stuff all v.v. messy at the moment here - so I 'm glad I could get something up here.