Elm Grove Patchwork

Show and Tell From The Shop

The shop is back open again, and with restrictions now lifting in rural Victoria I have a sense that we are returning to a new normal. It is really heart warming to have people back in the shop and to hear the laughter and chatter of ladies again. I have really missed that.

I have been enjoying some great show and tell.

Barb has made 'Museum Medallion', a pattern by Judy Newman and finished with edge to edge quilting.

Maree has completed this gorgeous small quilt for her granddaughter which will be gifted soon.  It has been Maree's challenge for our Appliqué Group.

 

 

Also, Sharyn called in to show me her fabulous Maggie Maguire's Garden quilt. Sharyn decided to change the centre appliqué, to make the quilt non directional. She has a window in her bedroom and with one side of a quilt constantly exposed to the light, she has found that her quilts fade on that one side. By making the quilt non directional, she is able to rotate the quilt and eliminate the uneven fading.

Using the appliqué pattern, she cut out the roses, leaves and buds and filled the area with a new layout. 

Congratulations Sharyn, it looks fabulous.

 

Whilst the shop has been closed, I have been making some big plans. If you follow me on Facebook and Instagram you would have saw this little teaser I posted last week.

I am really excited and can't wait to share it with you, I'll be back soon.

 

Hexagon Flowers for Maggie Maguire's Garden

It been a wonderful thrill to see and hear of so many people now making Maggie Maguire's Garden, with a second round BOM being offered with Homestead Hearth in the US, who are also offering it as a bright modern option as well. 

Maggie Maguire's Garden Quilt

 

Making the hexagon flowers can get a little challenging as you work deeper into the quilt. At our monthly appliqué group yesterday I caught up with Di who is well into the journey. She has made some gorgeous hexagon flowers which she has allowed me to share with you.

Aren't they stunning! Thanks Di for allowing me to share them.

I hope this has given some inspiration if you are struggling with ideas. You can see that stripes and border fabrics bring a lovely balance into the quilt. If you only have small pieces of fabric, try alternating fabrics in the outer round, it can give stunning results.

Happy stitching!

Wild Flower Woods

Just on closing on Friday evening my delivery man arrived with a small box of fabric. It was a selection of the new Wild Flower Woods, designed by Evonne Cook of Washington Street Studio. Circa 1870-85. 

Here's what arrived.

I love the border stripes, especially the pretty scallop element. There are lots of possibilities with fussy cutting, either hexagons or for a small feature border.  I sat down and played with making a Maggie Maguire hexagon.

Cream stripe facing in

Cream stripe facing out.

I didn't have quite enough fabric to show it with a whole round of the floral, but you can see the effect. I like the restful state of the first two compared to having all the flowers but it is a personal preference. Sometimes the centres can get a bit challenging in these flowers, repeating an outside element can tie it together nicely. 

Hope your having a great weekend.

Lenora x.

Maggie Maguire's Garden

In November last year I revisited some hexagon flowers that had languished in the back of my cupboard for just over a year. I was working to replicate an antique quilt, that was mostly browns, blues and golds. I think it was the restriction of colour that was causing my dislike of the project, so I decided to abandon the idea and work on something else restrictive. 

With the goal of the Australasian Quilt Convention in sights, I set myself the challenge of having a quilt finished by March 2019. November, December and January were quite productive, but our annual harvest on the farm, Christmas and the summer school holidays did slow my work rate. By February panic set it. There was so much to do; if only I had worked harder earlier. By this stage the fussy cutting was getting challenging, I felt I had used all my best fabrics, but some new arrivals into the shop spurred me on.

With some late nights, and early mornings, sewing in the car, at the hairdressers and the school bus stop, I managed to complete the quilt top on the train, just before my meeting with Helen Hayes who had kindly agreed to machine quilt it for me.

With some more late nights writing the pattern, then printing and packaging them, I was delighted to finally release Maggie Maguire's Garden at AQC yesterday.

There are a total of 168 hexagon flowers,  4232 individual hexagons. Despite the exhaustion of the last month, it really has been a lovely project to work on. Lots of 'Oh Wow' moments when fussy cutting has produced a lovely flower, and lots of family discussion about what flower was the nicest. 

If your coming along to AQC, pop by my stall #73 and take a look, I'd love to see you.