Elm Grove Patchwork

2018 Challenges

As part of my monthly appliqué group I have been running an annual challenge. At the start of the year each member is asked if they would like to participate in the challenge. The aim is to commit to a project that you would like to see finished by the end of the year. I was delighted to have almost every member of our group commit to the challenge in 2018....... even if it was through coercion.

Every few months we have a quick trip around the room to check on progress, and I do allow members a chance to re-negotiate their challenge about half way through the year.

Our final meeting for the year is always a highlight. Each member brings along a plate of food to share, and we have a pooled lunch together. There is always an abundance of food, drink and treats. After lunch we have our show and tell, with many of the challenge quilts being shown in their completed state. This year we had a magnificent display, with some ladies sitting up late the night before to complete the challenge. 

Let me show you some of the work, although I do apologise for the poor quality photos.

Here is Lynette's Hand Pieced Star Quilt. Lynette started this quilt in a hand piecing class with Annette Blake and was determined to finish it this year. 

Di also started this quilt in a class, Ballaarat Beauties with Michelle Yeo. So nice to see the top completed.

Marianne committed to finishing this lovely bright quilt. A few late nights leading up to our meeting saw the top completed.

Jenny toiled away at The Mary Brown Quilt, designed by Corliss Searcey of Threadbear, exceeding her goal of completed blocks. Im sure it will be finished now in 2019.

Our dear member Marlene, presented her lovely Caswell Quilt, again designed by Corliss Searcey. Beautifully quilted and bound, it is truly delightful.

Heather had a wonderfully productive year (actually she always does), this is her Pendle Hill quilt, designed by Di Ford-Hall. It is an extra large quilt and Im sure Heather has sewn it completely by hand. The photo does not do justice to its beauty. 

With Pendle Hill finished, Heather moved on to completing Mary Queen of Bedford, another design by Di Ford-Hall. Just the outer border to go.

Hazel worked away at this quilt, a design by Willyne Hammerstein. Again the photo does not do justice to the beautiful intricate work that has been done. The colour choices are superb.

Janine finished her version of Okehampton a design by Karen Styles of Somerset Patchwork.

And we all held our breathe as Jocelyn unfurled a complete top of La Passion designed by Grit from Germany and found at Grits Life blog. The quilt has 17,250 half inch hexagons.  If you have been following this blog you may remember me showing Jocelyn's progress here back in July. Amazingly, Jocelyn completed other works in amongst this quilt. 
 It was a most successful year, and I can't wait to do it all again.

Wishing you all the happiest of New Years. I hope your year is filled with sunshine, joy and happy days with endless sewing time.   Lenora.

 

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have a day filled with love and happiness, and I hope it continues throughout the new year.

A big thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout the year, from visiting the shop, to on-line orders and purchasing from me at various stalls. I truly appreciate your business.

Love and best wishes, Lenora.

Time To Kick Back

Its been a while between visits, but you will be please to hear it is for a good reason. I am working away at a new quilt which I aim to release at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne next April. The design features hexagons (lots of hexagons), and so far they are all fussy cut. You may of seen some I quickly posted on my Facebook and Instagram pages. I am on the down hill slope, only forty more to make and then the fun part of putting it all together. Here are a couple of my latest.

I have also continued on with the resuscitation of my garden. If I may be a little bit bold, I will say it is the best it has ever looked.

I thought I had lost this poor Buddleia. A good weeding, a hard pruning, some fertiliser and tender loving care over the past four months and this near deceased Buddleia now looks like this.

I know these Buddleia's are black listed in some parts of the world, but there are very few shrubs I can establish with our harsh coastal winds. I have planted them all along my Northern fence and they are doing really well.

I took the drastic step of removing almost all the plants in my backyard, even a ten year old Albertine Rose that was just about to flower, and sprayed the entire area with Round Up not once but twice. My family thought I had gone completely mad and Im sure they were a little bit cross with the moonscape they were forced to live with.

It is now back to lawn and the ornamental pears I have planted are starting to take off. It is very much a work in progress, but its already an improvement.

The roses have put on a great display too.

It has been a huge task but one I have really enjoyed and will keep on enjoying.

I have now closed the shop for a short break over Christmas and New Year. My only plans are to kick back, relax and sew hexagons. I will be back on Friday 4th January. Internet orders are still open and will be posted as normal.

Cheers.

New Fabric Has Arrived

Lots of new fabrics have arrived over the past weeks.

First to arrive was Nicholson Street. I was really excited to receive this range as it is designed by my friends Lisa and Lou from the  Max and Louise Pattern Co. These great Aussie girls live in Victoria and have been designing patterns for a number of years. This is their first fabric range, an offering of great shirting prints.

I love the different colours in these shirtings. It is not easy to find shirtings with green, purple, gold and pink, so they are definitely worth adding to the stash, just to give that little bit of variety and interest in your scrappy quilts.

Lisa and Lou already have their next range of fabric designed, but it will be early next year before we will see it in cloth.

Hot on the heals of Nicholson Street was the arrival of Spice it Up, designed by Jo Morton. In Jo's adored style, this range has lovely small prints and small border stripes. The prints are perfect for small miniature quilts which Jo is so famous for, and also well suited for appliqué.

I have the complete range of 40 bolts.

Last to arrive has been Sussex, designed by Nancy Gere. Very timely given the Prince and Princess of Sussex are actually in Melbourne today. This fabric range features some lovely pinks, soft greys and raspberry.

All fabrics are listed on the website, just click on the highlighted names and you will be taken directly to them.

We had a wonderful appliqué gathering at the start of this month. Our special guests where Corliss and Megan from Theadbear.

It was lovely to see all their quilts and hear the inspiration behind each design. Both ladies have almost opposite ways of designing, but both produce such stunning quilts. It was a really enjoyable and inspiring day.

Happy Stitching!

September Show and Tell

I'm extremely lucky to have the company of such a motivated and productive group of ladies who attend my monthly appliqué group. Last month Carolyn shared with us her beautiful Auntie Green Quilt, designed by  Carolyn Konig. Carolyn has been participating in the BOM program.

It has been a delight watching this quilt slowly evolve, it will be treasured for many decades to come.

We have another productive member, Monica. Circumstances have kept Monica away from our group for a little while, but she arrived back this month with some great quilts to show.

Fairhaven designed by Michelle Yeo

and 'Discovery' a Quiltmania BOM designed by Petra Prins.

Barb has just finished quilting and binding Ballarat Beauties designed by Michelle Yeo.

Jocelyn is continuing on with her La Passion quilt designed by Grit.  

She has sewn over 17,000 hexagons so far.

Next is a completed top made by Di. This is Di's version of the Emma Mary Quilt designed by Judy Newman.

And finally Antoinette has made this beautiful quilt designed by Robyn Falloon.

Sometimes there is too much inspiration for the time we have available.

Again just a reminder that I will be closed tomorrow Saturday 8th September.

Happy Stitching!

Spring Fever

I have been rather anti social of late, sorry if you have been visiting with no updates. I have been totally focused on resuscitating my poor neglected roses. 

Twelve years ago we built a new house on our farm. Being the keen gardener, I scoffed at my husband when he offered me a bag of left over Rye grass in the shed. No, I was having proper lawn. So I purchased a big box of lawn mix, and broadcast the whole new area that was to be my garden.  It has turned out to be one of the worst mistake of my life. While the seed mix had only 10% Couch, I now have vast areas of my garden that are 100%, Couch, in all its thick strangling glory.

My garden has been very neglected. In fact a number of my roses never saw the secateurs last year, and definitely not a granule of fertiliser. Over summer I really missed the beautiful, healthy blooms and rather than getting that little buzz of enjoyment as I walk out the front door, It is been a feeling of underachievement and failure, not to mention embarrassment.

So with a sniff of Spring in the air, I set about gaining control of the Couch. One rose at a time, I weeded, I pruned and I fertilised.

I learnt of a big pile of free mulch, so I conned the kids into helping me. We managed 12 bags before the squabbling got too much for me to handle.

(Rye grass bags.... how ironic)

I have been spending at least an hour every day, and on my days off lots more. 

With Mr 14 now fully competant at driving the tractor, he has been a wonderful help loading up the weeds with the front end loader. With his help we moved the blue stone blocks from my previous garden over to the new garden, and created a nice edging which I hope will help in keeping the Couch grass at bay.

We are up to our 45th bag of mulch and it is starting to look a treat. I set my self the ambitious task of getting down to the arch way, and I am nearly there. 

The end is in sight and now spring is definitely here. It will be lovely when the roses burst into full leaf and later flower. I will really enjoy the lovely blooms and their sweet smells this year.

 

And in other news, our local football/netball team Nirranda are playing off in grand final matches this coming weekend. It is wonderful to have both senior football sides and A Grade and A reserve netball in the grand final. So the shop will be closed this Saturday while I yell and scream my support for them. Thanks for your understanding.

Windermere plus an outing this Saturday

Its nice to be back with you. Its been mostly work and no play for me. July is the crazy busy month on our farm, always a struggle to get through it, but the worst is now behind, so happy sewing days are ahead.

The beautiful Windermere range arrived in July. Di Ford-Hall's fabric just keeps getting better.

I have now sold out of the lovely teal stripe. I have placed another order, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will arrive.

I have succumbed to temptation, and started stitching blocks of the Sarah Wistar Quilt, designed by Megan Carroll. 

They are lovely blocks. Very portable and very achievable. The hardest part has been deciding which fabrics I am going to use. 

 

This Saturday 18th August, I have been invited to trade at a gathering of The Applique Guild of Australia being held in Warrnambool. Here are the details.

 

Appliqué-In

hosted by The Applique Guild Australia Inc.

Saturday 18th August 2018

10.00am - 3.00pm

Gateway Church Hall

186 Raglan Parade

(Enter via Simpson St)

Warrnambool, Vic 3280

Guest speaker: Heather Shepherd

BYO Lunch and Mug and a small plate to share for morning tea

Bring your appliqué, sit and sew and enjoy time with friends

 

It promises to be a wonderful, inspiring day. I will be trading along with Linda from Gum Valley Patchwork. 

Everyone is welcome to attend, you do not need to be a member of the guild. 

The shop at Nullawarre will be closed for this day.

Happy stitching, Lenora.

July Applique Gathering

Yesterday was the first Monday of the month, and also our monthly appliqué meeting. It is always inspiring to see the lovely show and tell, and just to wander around the room checking out what everyone is working on.

I enter the day with great intentions of taking photos, but often I get so caught up that I forget to, or worst still, I forget to post them. Yesterday I remembered. Lets take a look.

Hazel's beautiful Ballet Avec Kaffe Fassett quilt, designed by Willyne Hammerstein. Just the border to add

 

Here's a closer shot. The quilt is entirely hand pieced.

 

Miss Matty's Parlour by Marriane. Hand pieced and hand quilted. Delightful work.

 

Jocelyn is working away at this beautiful hexagon quilt. Over 9000 hexagons have already been sewn and only another 7000 odd to go. Its been lovely watching this quilt grow.

 

Coral is on the home stretch with this beauty designed by Kim McLean

 

Lyn is also working on a hexagon masterpiece

 

Annie is making Irene Blanck's 'Confetti Quilt". 

 

Kay was making pentagon flowers for her Pendle Hill quilt

Anne is hand piecing her 'Maie' quilt designed by Periwinkle Patchwork.

 

and Helen is working on the Charlotte Quilt from Wattlebird designs.

I'll try and remember to keep taking photos.

Happy stitching, Lenora.

 

Sarah French No5

Fourteen bolts of the lovely new reproduction range called Sarah French No5 have arrived. They are beautiful true reproductions designed by Nancy Kirk for Washington Street Studio.

They offer great fussy cutting options for hexagons, clams and tumblers and I can see some great six and eight point stars using the different stripes. I have entered them onto the website, here is the direct link.

Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair 2018

I am home and recovering from a huge week at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. I travelled up with my eldest daughter Amy, who kindly took a week off work to help out on my stall. We left on Monday morning, the sun was shining brightly at (however high a plane flies), but with such thick cloud it was not so sunny underneath.

It seemed we were no longer in the air and the hostess was offering us soft drink and Pringles, Im not sure how it all worked but apparently we had earned a $10 voucher. By the time we had eaten the Pringles and drank the drink, this was the sight we were greeted with.

After settling into our room we ventured out to find the Exhibition Building and to check if the pallet of goods had arrived. All was good, except two trestle tables were missing from the stall.

Works out I had not read my contract properly, and no tables were provided. What an adventure the next twenty hours would be. I ended up catching trains and buses (both in the wrong direction to start with and in pouring rain with no coat or umbrella) to Bunnings at Alexandria and then waiting for 1.5 hours for a taxi. While waiting impatiently I watched the filming of a television segment for 'The Lounge Room' ...if you see a lady hiding behind two trestle tables at the front door that will be me. And while I was doing all this, Amy was climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge also in pouring rain. When the thunder and lighting came, she quickly had to descend to a bunker room. Luckily the storm passed and they were able to re climb and reach the summit, so apart from a slight drenching all was not too bad. 

The stall came together really quickly, and was looking great with The Sarah Wistar Quilt, Auntie Tess and Old Courthouse all on show ready for opening day. Forgive these very dark photos's the lighting was not great.

I had a fabulous week. I got to meet lots and lots of my mail order customers, fellow bloggers and members of Facebook groups I am in. And it was lovely to have a visit from Linda on Friday. Amy took up Linda's offer of afternoon release and caught a train and bus to Bondi for the afternoon

It was wonderful to finally meet Chookyblue, we have been blogging buddies for many years. Chooky invited me to join her for drinks after the show and I got to meet her lovely friends too, including Sandy from Shiralee Stitches and Janice who has a lovely blog Jannimary which I will now follow too.

 A lovely lady called Judith called by my stall. She was working on The Dutch Heritage Fabric stall. After a few minutes of talking, I work out that it was Judith from Juud's Quilts, another blog I have also followed for many years. It was a very funny moment when the penny dropped. One minute a complete stranger, the next second a well known friend.

The days past way too quickly. Each night I would walk down this pier at Darling Harbour to get back to my room. It was a pity I was so tired and my feet so sore, I did not stop and enjoy the moment.

When the fair ended on Sunday evening it was time to pack up. The pallet a lot lighter for the return journey, even with my two new trestle tables.

We had an afternoon flight on Monday, so we took the chance to do a little sight seeing in the morning. We decided to catch a ferry over to Manly Beach

We returned back to Circular Quay, and went to explore The Rocks area. There was a massive cruise ship in dock, we soon discovered that it was boarding day. Hundreds and hundreds of excited people where milling around, with more arriving each minute, just like bees to the honey pot. It was lovely to sit and watch the people arriving, all excited and in great spirits. It was a great atmosphere.

We made our way back to the airport and boarded our plane. Once again the Pringles and drinks were on offer, Im still baffled how that worked out, but again when the Pringles were eaten and drinks drank the plane was starting the descent. We were home in time for a late tea.

It really was a fabulous week, thanks NSW for making us feel so welcome.

Sydney bound

I am on official notice. There will be no more cutting, folding, bundling and boxing fabric from any of my family until next year. And our ten seat table is to be returned to a ten seat table with none of "Mum's Stuff" occupying the last three seats.

It has been a busy few weeks, with the last long weekend especially busy. Starter packs have been made for the Auntie Tess Quilt and also the Sarah Wistar Quilt, with Sarah Wistar now having a Deluxe pack of 20 fat 1/8ths and 20 fat 1/16th's. More colour cubes have been made and fabric rolls rolled and a great supply of pre-cuts folded. 

On Tuesday morning we set off for the couriers in Melbourne, once again towing the trailer. My 13 yr old son gladly volunteered to take the day off school (if his teachers are reading this he was sick) to help navigate and lift the heavy boxes. He did a superb job. 

I was concerned we might not fit all the stock onto one pallet, but with some careful jiggling we managed to get it all on and just at the height limit of 2m. I felt quite relieved when the pallet was wrapped and contents secured. By now I think the pallet should be in Sydney. So all is in place for hopefully a fabulous time. 

I am now having a few easy days cleaning up the two bomb sites that have emerged at both the shop and home, before I head off next week. 

The shop will be closed next week from Wednesday 20th - Wednesday 27th June, reopening on Thursday 28th June. On-line orders will remain open, but they will not be processed until my return.

Happy Stitching, Lenora.

New Dutch Heritage Fabric

I am delighted to have four bolts of the newest Dutch Heritage Fabric, designed by Petra Prins and Nel Kooiman. These vibrantly coloured prints are great for fussy cutting and Broderie Perse. They are listed on the website, here is a link to take you straight there.

I can't wait to have a few spare hours to sit and play with these beauties, I am sure there will be some stunning hexagons waiting to emerge from these prints.

I am now on the serious count down to the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. Only two weeks to go! Yikes, I'd better get back to it.

Sequoia by Edyta Sitar

Its lovely to have some new fabric arrive, especially when it's the bright, fresh colours of Edyta Sitars latest offering, Sequoia. These lovely small scale prints are perfect for appliqué, giving your project that little pop of colour to add interest and highlight. The colours I have chose range from teal, green, pink, red with a touch of dark brown and a fawn yellow.

Teals (the back ones are darker in real life - see a better photo below)

Greens

Pinks and Red

Brown, Fawn and Multi's

Light Prints

and a gorgeous print with lovely birds

Grouped together

They are listed for sale on the website, here is a quick link if you would like to see them.

It is now less than three weeks until the Sydney Craft and Quilt show and the alarm bells are just starting to ring. Best I get back to the cutting, folding and bundling.

Happy stitching, Lenora.

Are you coming to meet Leah?

A few weeks back I announced that Leah Zieber; American quilt historian and author was visiting Australia and had agreed to spend a day with us. Here is the link to the blog post, just in case you missed it. 

It promises to be a great day. I feel very privileged to have someone of Leah's expertise visiting and offering to share her knowledge with us. If you have been thinking of attending, could you please book your place either through the website here, or by calling me on 0427 819105. I need to hear from you by Thursday 1st June. 

If you are on my email mailing list, you would of received an email from me last week, asking you to reconfirm your desire to receive emails. This was in response to the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Laws that came into effect on May 25th. These laws are specifically for people in the European Union, but just to cover myself and be 100% compliant,  I thought it was timely to ask people were they really ok with receiving emails from me. I have slackened with my email newsletter, but the great response I had with re-signups has been truly enlightening. I will recommence the newsletters on a more frequent basis. If you would like to receive the newsletter, please respond to the email I sent, or click on this link, to subscribe. 

Back soon with some lovely new fabric arrivals.

 

One more sleep until the Frolic begins

With one more sleep to go, its time I released details of the in-store specials you will find at Elm Grove Patchwork during the Friendship Frolic. 

All of the Japanese Yarn Dye will be reduced to $22.00/m. (This fabric usually sells for $28.00-32.00/m).

All 1930's fabric will be reduced to $16.00/m

Along with these specials, I am offering a 20% discount on all bolted fabric. So if you bring a bolt to the counter and I cut from the bolt, you will receive a 20% discount yes even on the already reduced 1930's and Japanese Yarn Dye. A minimum cut of 20cm will apply.

All Patchwork with Busy Fingers paper pieces will be reduced to $4.00 per packet.

Selected patterns will be reduced by 50%

And along with Linda I too will be offering all my current discounted fabric (those items just inside the door) at the not to be missed price of $5.00/m with a minimum cut of 1/m (no further discounts will be offered on these fabrics).

Remember if you spend $20.00 at each store you will enter the draw for the combined $300.00 voucher, the second prize of a $150.00 machine quilting voucher donated by Barb Devine of Devine Quilting and also qualify for the frolickers special gift. Remember there are a limited number of gifts, so don't delay your visit, once they are gone, they are all gone. I will also have a guess the number of buttons in the jar competition, and another competition I will run in conjunction with Linda. It really is going to be a great week.

Linda has released details of what you will find at Gum Valley Patchwork, check it out on her blog post here.

I really hope you are able to make it to the Friendship Frolic. The specials are in store only, not available over the phone or via the website.

Please remember, following the Frolic I will be closing for a short spell, reopening on Wednesday 30th May.

Will you be frolicking?

Its on again, the annual Friendship Frolic, and it starts next week!

What is the Friendship Frolic I hear some asking. The Friendship Frolic started in 2015, and is an annual event held in conjunction with Linda at Gum Valley Patchwork. One day while Linda and I were chatting, we decided we needed an event to celebrate the friendships that exist between quilters.

The idea of the day is to gather your quilting friends. You will visit one of our shops then travel to the other shop, stopping at the halfway point in the township of Timboon for lunch; either a picnic you have packed or purchase from one of the eateries in town. Afterwards, visit the second shop. By spending $20.00 at each shop you will be entitled to enter the draw for a combined $300.00 voucher ($150.00 from each shop) with a second prize of a $150.00 machine quilting voucher donated by Barb Devine. There are also lots of other prizes on offer, discounts and competitions. It really is a fun day, and a great excuse to get together with your friends.

Last year the first 100 people to submit their passports received these great mugs

It all kicks of this coming Wednesday May 16th and ends Sunday May 20th. Both our shops open for the whole five days, and we will trade from 10.30am - 4.00pm each day. Yes, I open for a full day on Saturday. We have lots of special things planned, I do hope you can join us.

After the frolic I will be closing the shop for a short break. I will be closed from Wednesday 23rd May - Saturday 26th May, reopening on Wednesday 30th May. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may pose. 

Another day with Leah Zieber

I'm really thrilled to announce that American Quilt Historian Leah Zieber is making her way back to Australia. I am extra thrilled to announce that Leah has agreed to return to our lovely south-west region for another day sharing her Antique Quilt knowledge.

Leah last visited in October 2016. We had a fabulous day with Leah showing a massive collection of antique quilts from her collection. It was so wonderful to see so  many quilts up close and hear the historical information behind the quilts. I know this visit will be just as wonderful.

Leah presenting one of her antique quilts

Here are the details;

The day will be held at the Lady Bay resort in Warrnambool, making it extremely accessible for anyone who lives further afield who wishes to join us. Warrnambool is serviced with four daily trains running to and from Melbourne, and the Lady Bay resort offers lovely accommodation right on the beachfront of Warrnambool.

The first part of the day will be Leah's presentation which will take us up to lunch time. Following lunch there will be the opportunity to sit and sew, talk with Leah and her companion Linda Collins and enjoy some retail therapy from Leah and myself. For people participating in the Libby Morgan sew-along it will be a lovely opportunity to view each others 'Libby's". I feel so very honoured to host a quilt maker, quilt historian and author of Leah's calibre.

To book a place please call me on 0427819105 (during shop hours if possible) or you can book a seat on my website clicking on this link or under the top heading Classes/Events. I do hope you can join us.

A glimpse into my farming life

Three weeks ago I was in Melbourne trading at the Royal Exhibition Building for AQC. When I arrived home late on Sunday night, the family greeted me with the chorus of  'five cows have calved'. Another calving season was upon me.

This morning while running about getting my jobs done before I opened the shop, I thought I would take some photos and share a little of what I do this time of year. It might also explain why I may of been a little late replying to some emails.

One of my jobs is to rear the calves. It is quite a frustrating, time consuming job that comes with plenty of bruises. 

Fresh arrivals waiting to be fed

 

Away and drinking great.

 

 

Much easier as they progress onto the big  feeder.

 

 

Harley, always on hand

 

 

These are the milkers waiting to be let over the road

 

 

And the 'Springer' (maternity) paddock, the most watched space on our farm for the next few months.

As I said, just a some quick snapshots. Im up to 73 calves so far. The calving should start to slow down in the next two weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on top of everything soon. If you are part of the Repro Fabric Club, you will be pleased to know your packages are in the mail, so sorry for the delay.

I'd better hit the hay, before it is time to do it all again tomorrow.

 

AQC 2018

A week on from AQC and I think I am finally starting to turn the corner back to feeling some kind of normal again. It was a fabulous week meeting lots of new people, reacquainting with old friends and finally being able to put faces to names that support me with on-line orders.

For the past two months I have been busy getting ready for AQC. Lots of fabric was cut, folded, rolled and bundled in preparation.

Sarah Wistar starter packs

Colour Cubes, a family effort lead by my daughter Sharna

And nearly 1000 fabric rolls, rolled by my Mum and Dad with some help from my sister.

This year I decided I would travel to Melbourne a day earlier. It is always my plan to be left home bright and early on the Wednesday morning prior to the show starting Thursday, but in the past five years it has never happened, and I am still at the exhibition centre at 7pm setting up my stall in semi darkness. While it was my plan to be left home by 12pm, once again it was much later, but I kept telling myself I was still ahead on other years.

I don't mind driving in Melbourne, but when I am towing the trailer I do get a little bit nervous. I arrived in Melbourne right on 6pm, the traffic was not too bad considering it was still peak time, but the sun was shining in my rear vision mirror and also on the over head signs. Linda had rang while I was travelling along, telling me just to stay in the third lane once I left the Westgate Bridge. All was going well until I caught a last minute glimpse of the overhead sign, telling me I was definitely in the wrong lane, and with dusty mirrors and sun glare it was impossible to tell if I could safely cross to where I was meant to be, so off to St Kilda I was heading. An SOS call to Linda was placed,  "Just get off that road as soon as you can", which I did, and after a quick visit on Google maps me and the trailer where bumping along right through the CBD streets and into the Exhibition Building carpark.

I emptied both the car and the trailer,

then returned the next morning to start setting up.

By 3.00pm it was all done.

It was a great honour to be able to release Megan Carroll's newest pattern the Sarah Wistar Quilt.

Sarah Wistar Quilt pattern

and to also display the beautiful Auntie Tess quilt designed by Corliss Searcey of Threadbear which has been beautifully quilted by Helen Hayes.

Auntie Tess Pattern

It was also a highlight to have both Megan and Corliss work on my stall on Friday, with many of Threadbear's past customers enjoying a catch up.

The four day convention past way too quickly, and now that I am back home I am slowly finding my feet again. I am starting to work my way through my book of enquiries and I hope to have the repo fabric club posted early next week. Thanks again to everyone who dropped by and said hello, I really do appreciate your kindness.

With AQC done and dusted, my fairytale existence is crashing to an almighty end. 20 freshly born calves await me in the calf shed tomorrow morning and I have to be at the football ground at 9.00am!

Have a great weekend, Lenora x.

 

Sarah Wistar Quilt c1842 by Megan Carroll

This time next week the doors will nearly be opening for Australasian Quilt Convention 2018. I am really excited about this years event. Not only do I have a new stall, I am releasing a brand new quilt designed by Megan Carroll. 

The quilt is called the Sarah Wistar Quilt c1842 and in Megan's signature style, it features a collection of beautiful hand pieced blocks. Here is a little sneak peak.

The beautiful blocks offer lots of opportunity for fussy cutting and the chance to feature some of those favourite fabrics you will have in your stash.

There are also lovely broderie perse blocks to showcase beautiful florals.

The finished blocks are joined in columns with long sashing strips between the columns. I love the portability of these types of quilts. With some prior preparation, they can be worked on at sewing days, appointments or the idle time we sometimes find ourselves with. 

The finished quilt top will be on display at my new stand, number 73. 

There it is marked in red, just straight up from the entry with a little turn to the left. I will have the pattern for sale, and also two different starter packs to help you get underway with your new quilt. 

Easter is coming upon us. The shop will be closed tomorrow, Good Friday then opened again on Saturday 30th March from 1 - 4 pm. The shop will remain closed while I am at AQC and will reopen on Thursday 12th April. 

I best get back to more cutting, folding and bundling.

Ps. Do you follow me on Facebook and Instagram? You don't have to be a member, you can just click on the icons which are on my website and it will take you to my pages. At busy times like this I find it hard to sit down and write a nice blog post, but I can manage a quick post on Instagram/Facebook. So if you have not heard from me, please click on the other sites and you might catch me there. 

A big welcome to designer Megan Carroll

As we progress along our quilt making journey we find pattern designers who we have an affinity with. Usually we fall in love with their style of quilts, their fabric choices and the content of information they include in their patterns. For a number of years I have admired the Australian pattern designer Megan Carroll, and I have a number of her patterns stashed away to make when time is more of my friend.

I have recently been in contact with Megan, and she has agreed to supply her patterns to the shop. It was a big pinch me moment when I took delivery of her beautiful quilts, Worthing Downs and Miss Matty's Parlour to hang in the shop.

 

Miss Matty's Parlour

Miss Matty's Parlour is a beautiful quilt, made entirely with hand piecing. It can be made with English Paper Piecing if that is your preference, but you will need to cut your own papers. The quilt consists of some large singular hexagons and other quite intricately pieced hexagons. It is a great quilt to showcase your fussy cutting abilities and your stashed fabrics, and like all hexagon projects, very portable.

 

 

 

Worthing Downs

 

Worhting Downs features a lovely centre appliqué design which is surrounded by a collection of small pieced blocks with some broidery perse. Again a very portable project, and a great quilt to showcase those beautiful fabrics that have been collected.

 

Using wavy prints to add extra dimension

 

 

 

Fussy cut centre fabric and border print border

 

It has been a real pleasure walking past these quilts each day and pausing to admire the beautiful fabrics Megan has collected over her time of quilt making. I am also admiring the beautiful quilting by Susan Campbell. I'm in the process of making up some starter fabric packs, they will be available very soon.

And just to offer a little tease, Megan has a brand new quilt which is almost complete. All going to plan, you will see it at AQC in a few short weeks.

Well back to cutting and folding for me, have a great weekend.

Lenora, x.

A Quick Visit.

Im writing this post tonight from the Botanical Gardens in Warrnambool, while my daughter is learning dances for her upcoming Debutante Ball. It really sums up the crazy time I am having of late.

Some lovely fabrics have arrived over the past fortnight. I chose ten bolts from the Farmhouse Red range designed by Minick and Simpson for Moda Fabrics.

 

 

Farmhouse Red

 

Secondly six bolts of Needle and Thread Gatherings, again a Moda fabric range this time designed by Primitive Gatherings.

Needle and Thread Gatherings

When I first opened the shop I could not buy shirting fabrics anywhere, luckily it has completely turned around, they are coming through thick and fast.

It is now only six weeks until AQC, (Australasian Quilt Convention), definitely the pointy end of preparations. I've started the cutting, folding and bundling fest, and lists of what I need to do are stacking up. Im praying for six weeks of smooth sailing with a tail wind. 

Sorry to leave so quickly, training time is nearly up. 

Happy Stitching, Lenora.

 

Maling Road by Di Ford-Hall

I've been in fabric heaven this week, cutting folding and bundling up the beautiful new Maling Road fabric designed by Di Ford-Hall. I'm in love with the colours Di has used, the busyness of the prints and detail in the designs. Here, take a look.

Perfect prints for fussy cutting hexagons, pentagons or stars

 

Great choices for alternating 'plain' blocks.

 

Small, busy prints for piecing or setting triangles

 

More fussy cutting options

 

Perfect for inner borders or framed outer borders

 

Endless uses for cheater cloth. Fussy cutting, broderie perse or backings

Piecing, applique or backgrounds

Wavy border prints, again broderie perse borders, fussy cut hexagons, pieced stars.

 

Checks add interest to your pieced blocks and these coral type prints make beautiful dog tooth borders, pieced blocks or vibrant backgrounds.

So often people come into the shop looking for these types of prints when they are working on a project. The problem is these types of prints never last long, experienced quilt makers know their value and snatch them up quickly. I have them all available at present, you will find them by clicking here.

Well I had better get back to work, in eight weeks time the Australasian Quilt Convention will be in full swing and I still have a project or two to finish.

 

A Bright Happy New Year

I know I have said it before, but I really do love starting a new year. Its the time I pack away the disappointments of last year and start afresh. New goals, new projects and full expectations that it is going to be a wonderful year. 

The first goal of 2018 has been to change the layout of the shop. It sounds quite easy, but it is quite challenging, especially working with the constraints of windows and doors. It took quite a few days, and luckily I have a few children who rotated in and out to help me (picture rolling eyes, dropped shoulders and "Mum do you really think this is going to fit here"), but now that it is done, I am thrilled with the new look.

Let me show you some snap shots from around the shop. This is in the counter room, out with fabric shelves and up with a quilt (Sovereign by Max and Lousie Pattern Co) and a lovely new, tripled tiered, fat quarter stand, made by my adorable son Hayden. The brief I gave him was maximum storage with minimal space. I think he has done exceptionally well. Apparently 'lit' is the new teenage word for awesome, so I have a lit stand in my shop.

Into the front room a selection of lights.

 

A book nook.

Florals all in one place.

 

And down the back blues and teals.

And Creams, Pinks and Reds.

Its lovely to be back at work, and lovely seeing happy, excited people coming through the doors. Here's to a great 2018.

Farewell 2017

Christmas has come early at Elm Grove, would you believe four different fabric ranges have arrived in the past week.

First to come in was Tuxedo Prints, a lovely shirting range designed by Kathy Hall. I chose six from the range.

Then came seven bolts of Madeline, (circa1880-1890) designed by Julie Hendrickson.

I was really excited to unbox the Mississippi Collection.

And when I thought all was delivered, in came Antebellum by Sara Morgan

They have all been entered onto the website, you will find them quickly by clicking on the highlighted names above.

And so brings a close to 2017. It has been a wonderful year in the shop and I am so grateful for all the support I have received. For those who call into the shop, phone through orders, browse my website and order on line, I truly appreciate your support. For you who read this blog and engage with my social media, I thank you too. Also a special thanks for those who visit the shop and share their latest work, like Pam here who has just completed the centre of The Caswell quilt (designed by Corliss Searcey)

and Chris who called in yesterday with her Star a Day blocks (designed by Karen Styles).

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and I hope that 2018 is full of fun stitching times. I am taking a short break to spend some time with my husband and kids and to enjoy a slower pace. Online orders will remain open and they will be posted as soon as possible, I just won't guarantee same day processing everyday.  See you all next year.

Lenora x.

Pioneer Brides and Christmas Closure

I have enjoyed having some lovely groups of people pass through the shop over the past fortnight, enjoying Christmas breakups with their sewing groups. It's lovely to hear the laughter and banter of these groups throughout the shop. I often think how fortunate we are as stitchers to have these groups of friends to share our good times and our sad times with, it really isn't just about the stitching.

Our monthly appliqué groups Christmas luncheon was again a lovely day. It is usually not our most productive day, but certainly our most enjoyable one. We had a surprise visit from one of Santa's elves, who made a cheeky arrival on a motorbike, and questioned members on whether they were completing their projects, using their stash and the number of UFO's they had. He came bearing gifts so his cheekiness was overlooked.

At the start of the year our members had the opportunity to set a challenge for the year. Although we had been reporting in each month, it was great to revisit the challenges and see what had been achieved.

Carolyn's Foxley Village

Janine's Ballaarat Beauties.

Janine's smile shows the fun we have had and the work we have achieved (and not achieved... my Morrell quilt is still coming). Im already looking forward to next year.

New fabric continues to arrive. Pioneer Brides is the latest offering of reproduction fabric from Audrey Wright. 

small prints and cable stripes

Quirky patterns

fillers and paisley prints

Along with great florals for Broderie Perse

You will find Pioneer Brides listed on my website here.

Once again I will be closing the shop for a small break and a refresh. The shop will close at 3.30pm on Thursday 21st December, reopening on Wednesday 10th January. Online orders will remain open over the break, but I will not guarantee same day processing.

Keep on stitching.

Some Ideas for Christmas Gift Giving

I hate to mention it but Christmas really is coming quickly with just a little over 4 weeks to go. I thought I would show you some great gift giving ideas in case you are having trouble deciding what to buy your quilt making friends.

New to the shop are these numbered pins. 

They come in a sturdy double sided boxed, with 10 pins of each number. You can purchase them numbered 1-10

or 11-20

These are great for when you are sewing blocks together into rows, or rows together into a quilt top. Priced at $14.95 they make a lovely gift that I am sure will be well used.

For people who are on a journey of English Paper Piecing, a Rotary Cutting Mat is a great gift. The mat measures 10 inches across, and is a perfect size for cutting multiple edge shapes such as hexagons and pentagons. You can cut two-three sides, rotate the mat and continue cutting the remaining sides. The smaller size keeps the fabric close and enables a stable cutting surface.

Another useful tool for English Paper Piecing is the Fussy Cutting Mirror. This mirror allows you to audition fabric, seeing what designs you can achieve before you cut into your special fabric. Priced at $19.80 these are another great option.

The other tools I can't live without are my Perfect Scissors. The beauty of these scissors is the fine serrated edge, ensuring fabric stays still so you are able to cut exactly the area you desire. The hardest decision is what size to choose, as each size has great benefits. If in doubt I suggest the medium, light blue set. The handles are big and soft, so no problems for those with arthritic fingers and the blade is small enough to maintain great precision. 

And then there is fabric. I keep a great assortment of bundled fabric, and it is no trouble to make a bundle specific to your needs of colour or price. Please don't hesitate to call me for a custom selection.

If you would like a selection of colours,  Colour Cubes are always great. These cubes contain nine different prints which measure 6 inches x half the width of fabric (approximately 21 inches). They are great for people who are making Dear Jane or The Farmers Wife quilts or for appliqué lovers. Priced at $20.00 per box, they make a great gift.

And everyone loves a great book. At the moment I have a lovely selection of books for making small quilts and also large scrappy quilts.

And finally, I have a small number of the new Di Ford-Hall Aurifil thread sets. 

These sets contain 10 different colours especially chosen by Di Ford-Hall in the new extra fine, 80 weight cotton thread. The packs are priced at $85.00 per set.

And if you are still undecided,  I do offer Gift Vouchers, which even include machine quilting. 

Remember you can have a parcel sent directly to the recipient of your gift, just enter your friends address in the shipping address section upon checking out. And if you place a note in the comments section, I will even gift wrap the item for you and include a card.
 

Happy Stitching, Lenora.

 

One Fabric, Ten Hexagons

I'm totally smitten with the new 'Graces Garden' fabric. My mission this week was to see how many different hexagons I could cut from one piece.  This is the fabric, I needed 60cm to obtain the six repeats.

Here are the hexies.

Its been a fun week.

 

Atelier De France by French General

If you are like me and on a hexagon journey, you are going to love these new fabrics from French General, Atelier De France. They have just arrived and I have them on the the website. Like here to see them.

I've had a little play around this morning. I'm still not sure about the centres, I do seem to agonise over centres.

I had a lovely weekend at the Ballaarat Quilters exhibition last weekend. A huge shout of thanks for such a hard working committee who put on a great show. The quilts were lovely, the company was delightful and the treatment I received was First Class. Thanks also to Linda from Gum Valley Patchwork, who was a great cabin-mate over the weekend.

Here are some snap shots from the quilts entered.

Have a great weekend.

Lenora.

 

Graces Garden

Reminder, the Shop is closed tomorrow 4th November as I will be trading at the Ballaarat Quilt Show in Ballarat

I've had a delivery of  beautiful new fabric from Betsy Chutchian (Moda Fabrics) called Graces Garden. It is reproduced from the period 1820 - 1860. Without doubt this is my favourite fabric at the moment.

Beautiful open florals

Prints with intriguing little motifs

Unusual stripes

Great fussy cutting prints

Sweet companion prints

Thinking all things hexagon at the moment, I couldn't help myself playing with the Imprezzio fussy cutting viewers. With florals like these you can form so many interesting and different rosettes from just one fabric.

I have them all entered on the website, you will find them by clicking here.

And for some inspiration to kick start the weekend, here is Lynette's Ballaarat Beauties,which was started in our class with Michelle Yeo. Well done Lynette, it is going to look stunning with the blue and yellow borders you have chosen.

Ballaarat Beauties by Lynette

I hope your weekend will be as good as mine.

Lenora.

Shop closed this Saturday and a hexagon addiction

I am busy at the moment cutting and folding fabric, making up colour cube boxes and bundling together little fabric packs. I have been invited to be a stall holder at this weekends Ballaarat Quilter's exhibition. It promises to be a great exhibition, with over 100 member quilts on display, including Art, Contemporary, Traditional and Modern quilts. There will also be a raffle, shops, viewers’ choice and a display of red & white challenge quilts. Here are the details.

Ballaarat Quilters Exhibition

Saturday 4th November 2017 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 5th November 2017 10 am – 4 pm

Venue: St Patrick’s Cathedral Community Hall, Dawson Street South,
Ballarat Central.

If you are able to make the trip to Ballarat I am sure it will be well worthwhile. I will have a great selection of my reproduction fabrics with me.  The shop in Nullawarre will be closed on Saturday while I am attending this event.

 

I have been totally absorbed in a new project I am working on. It involves hexagons....and a lot of them. I have long admired an antique quilt in one of my many quilt books. It is quite a large quilt and every time I have of thought of reproducing it, I have been able to talk myself out of it.

If I digress just a little. This time last year I was very fortunate to have the amazing Leah Zieber, an award winning American Quilt Historian and author visit me. She held an amazing workshop in the Nullawarre Hall with her antique quilts and introduced a new series of novels she is writing, the first called Libby Morgan: Reunion.

Libby Morgan: Reunion is the first part of a series of books, that underneath a lovely story, celebrates America's rich quilting traditions. In this first book, Libby is introduced to patchwork and starts making her first quilt, a hexagon mosaic quilt. You can read more about and purchase the book here. 

At the moment, there is a great Facebook group, the Libby Morgan Mosaic Quilt Sew Along 2017. If you search Facebook, you will find it, it is a closed group but open to people who request to join and you can also search the hashtag on Instagram.

As fate would have it, this group was forming at a time when I was again looking at this lovely antique quilt. After days of my heart saying, Yes Do It, and my brain saying You Don't Have Time, I made the decision to join the group and start sewing hexagons. So I am on the journey and totally absorbed in hexagon making.

 

Here are some of what I have made.

I am sharing them on Instagram and Facebook, and when I remember I am even showing the fabric I cut them from. I am really enjoying searching through both my stash and also the bolts on my shelves. Each Rosette will be fussy cut, which is making the project really enjoyable. 

I have a plan of having the quilt completed by April, in time for the Australasian Quilt Convention, but it is quite a commitment, and to be honest I am a little nervous of the time it involves and the time that I have available. However the Facebook group is certainly keeping me inspired and motivated, and apart from our annual harvest which is in full swing at the moment, my farming commitments are minimal from now till April.

Speaking of our farm, my sons have just hatched a second brood of chickens in their incubator.

and we have a gorgeous new pup, Harley.

So life is good all round.

Happy Stitching, Lenora.

 

Changed hours for today

Just for today the shop will have changed business hours. I will be opening at 10.00am and closing at 12.00pm, as it is my sons Year 12 Valedictory.

I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, as always I am happy to open by appointment if you wish to contact me.

Lenora.

Beautiful Toiles and Florals

I'm constantly on the lookout for toile fabric, I find it the hardest fabric to source. Quite amazingly, I have had two deliveries this week. First up is a beautiful collection from the Japanese company Yuwa. 

Yuma, Live Life Collection:  Red

A larger view

In Pink

Soft Blue

Beige

The second range is from Jason Yenter called Romance.

Romance Red

and Beige

They really are beautiful prints on lovely quality cloth, and would make a divine background for appliqué.

With the Yuwa toile, also came these exquisite Yuwa florals.

I have entered all these on the website, where you can view and purchase them. They are filed under Florals and Toile, which usually live right at the bottom of the fabric section, but for a short while I have relocated them to the top for easy viewing. If you click here, you will be directed straight to them.

And to leave you with a little inspiration for the weekend, here is Marlene's now quilted Le Jardin (designed by Wattlebird designs). You may remember me showing you the completed top. (Sorry for the poor photography).

Enjoy your weekend, Lenora.

Clotted Creams and Caramels along with Franklin

It was lovely seeing so many people about last week for my sale. For those who visited, I hope you are enjoying all those goodies you picked up. It certainly helped make some room for these beautiful new fabrics which have arrived.

Clotted Creams and Caramels in the latest offering from Di Ford-Hall. Featuring delicate creams, beautiful soft lemons and rich caramels, this range is perfect for backgrounds, fillers and low volume projects.

Clotted Creams and Caramels

Clotted Creams and Caramels

Clotted Creams and Caramels

I can see them working beautifully for appliqué backgrounds, and perfect with Di's previous ranges, Bally Hall and Cloverdale House. They are listed on the website, you will find them by clicking here.

Also arriving is the complete range of Franklin, designed by Kathy Hall for Andover. This range features two great serpentine border prints and some interesting prints well suited for fussy cutting.

Franklin (wide view)

Franklin (wide view)

Franklin (wide view)

Franklin (wide view)

Franklin

Franklin

Franklin

Franklin

Franklin is listed on the website here. I am itching to have a play and see how some of these will work in a new hexagon quilt I am making.

I'd better keep on moving, Repro Fabric club and the next instalment of the Block of Month are due.

Happy stitching, Lenora.

 

 

Trinkets 2018

The lovely new range of Trinkets, Trinkets 2018 arrived yesterday. These are designed by Kathy Hall and are great basic prints, perfect for appliqué. Only are small range there are 12 bolts in total. 

Grey, Blue and Black

Greens

Gold, Dark Mustard, Rust and Dark Chocolate

Go
Burgundy and Cream

I have them entered on the website, you will find them here.

Just a reminder, my Spring sale starts today. 20% off all stock (excluding Quiltmania Books and Lay-Bys and Gift Vouchers). The sale is both in store and on line. If ordering on line, please use the coupon code Spring prior to checkout, once you reach PayPal it is too late. The sale will continue until Saturday at 4.00pm, and yes I am open for the Public Holiday here in Victoria on Friday.

Happy stitching!

A Spring Sale

With the arrival of Spring I have decided to celebrate. Starting this Thursday and continuing until Saturday, yes I am open on Friday for the Public Holiday, there is 20% off all stock, excluding Quiltmania Books. The sale is both in store and on line. So if you have a long weekend and are not sure what to do, why not make a trip down the Great Ocean Road. With beautiful coastline to explore, I am only a two hour drive from Geelong or Ballarat and if you want to stay overnight there are lots of accommodation options in Warrnambool. I'd love to see you.

Wallpaper and Paint and A Spot of Tea Dyeing

This weeks delivery has been a sampling of Wallpaper and Paint, designed by Dolores Smith. I chose to top up on some lovely small checks, and some striped prints which are great for fussy cutting. 

Wallpaper and Paint

I must of been distracted as I somehow forgot to take a close up photo of the reds, but I hope you can see them from here.

Wallpaper and Paint

I have just entered them onto the website, you can find them by clicking here. They have arrived at a perfect time, as I am having a little jaunt with English paper pieced hexagons at the moment. If you follow me on Instagram you will be able to see some of the hexagons I have made. 

English Paper Pieced Hexagons

I am really enjoying the fussy cutting, and revisiting my stash.  

As the need arises, I am even doing a spot of tea dyeing. If I may digress for just a moment......Last month I received the devastating news that my all time favourite tea, Robur is no longer in production. I have been on a desperate search to find a suitable replacement, not too strong, not too bitter, just a mellow blend with a hint of sweetness. The search has involved purchasing eight different brands......I've settled with Bushell's Blue Label, but I am left with a mountain of tea, which is only good for tea dyeing. 

So when the need arose to dye a white background to a more antique tone, I reached for the tea bags I least enjoyed. While I might not of liked the tea to drink, I was delighted with the dyed result.

Tea Dyeing: 5 tea bag strength

I had used five tea bags in a dessert bowl of boiling water. I noted next time to try just two bags.

Tea Dyeing: 2 tea bag strength

I love the result. I think Billy Tea has now become my favourite for tea dyeing.

My new favourite tea.... for dyeing

If you like to follow me on Instagram you will be able to keep up with my latest hexagons.

Happy stitching, Lenora.

 

Prairie Basics, Prairie Shirtings and beautiful quilts

This week I have welcomed two new ranges to the shelves,  Pam Buda's Prairie Basics and Prairie Shirtings. They are beautiful reproduction prints, with small scale patterns perfect for appliqué and small patch piecing.

Prairie Basics: Vibrant Purples

Prairie Basics: Deep Reds and Dusty Pinks

Prairie Basics: Inky Blacks and Blues

Prairie Basics: Deep Greens

Prairie Basics: Warm Browns

Prairie Shirtings

Prairie Shirtings

Prairie Shirtings

Prairie Shirtings

I have spent the day cutting fat eighths and fat quarters, and tonights job is to start folding. Both ranges are listed on the website, you will find them by clicking on Prairie Basics and Prairie Shirtings.

I always love seeing what quilters are working on, and I love seeing the completed quilts. I feel very privileged to be able to watch the progress of quilts as they are being made. Today I had a visit from Marie who brought along two completed quilts....well just the binding to go onto one of them. Both quilts are designed by Di Ford-Hall and feature in Primarily Quilts 2.

Marie's Giggleswick Mill Sampler Quilt

Marie's Sutton Grange Quilt

closer detail

And this is Marie's latest project, Auntie Tess designed by Corliss Searcey.

Marie's latest work, Auntie Tess

Over the weekend I saw Coral who has been working away at the Caswell Quilt, another pattern by Corliss Searcey. Coral has completed all the blocks and now just has the borders to go.

Coral's Caswell Quilt

Thanks Marie and Coral for allowing me to share your beautiful work.

Happy Stitching, Lenora.

Show and Tell

If you are living here in Southern Victoria, I hope you are keeping warm and dry. It is vile weather with high winds, hail storms and drenching rain. Although it is probably nothing compared to what our friends in Houston have experienced.

With the start of a new month, so too comes the our monthly appliqué day. A few members were unable to make it this month due to travel and sickness, but the show and tell certainly did not let us down.

Sharyn presented this beautiful hand pieced quilt called 'Maie', which she has made completely from her scrap basket. Not the best photography on my part with the sun showing through, but it does show how neat Sharyn's hand piecing is.  

Handpieced 'Maie' by Sharyn

Next Mary showed her recently completed Little Boys Britches. Again my apologies for the shine through which is giving a blurry effect. After making lots of quilts for her grandchildren, Mary has enjoyed working on a quilt for herself. She has used the Little Boys Britches Starter Kit, which I have put together.

Little Boys Britches by Mary

Antoinette delighted us with her beautiful Clamshell quilt, a workshop she started with Irene Blanck. It has recently returned from the quilters and just needs the binding sewn down. I must confess, I have been looking at the recently arrived 'Timeless' range and the previous 'Reflections' range both by Jo Morton and I have been thinking how nice they would look mixed up in a clamshell quilt.....

Clamshells by Antoinette

And finally, Carolyn (who has the great ability to set goals and stay on track) brought along her beautiful Auntie Green quilt. It is thrilling to watch the progress of this quilt. 

Auntie Green by Carolyn

At the start of the year a number of our members set a challenge of what they would like completed by the end of the year. Most people are on track, although I think that maybe over the the past two months some of us may be lagging a little. With four months of the year left, it is not too late to make amends. We have recommitted and look forward to productive days ahead.

Ps. My son's football team won again on Saturday. They are now through to the grand final! My fingers are doubly crossed. The shop will be opening at the slighter later time of 1.30pm this Saturday. I may or may not have a voice left, but I will be open. 

Kindred Spirits Sisters

I am really pleased to welcome a new fabric designer to my shelves, Jill Shaulis who owns Yellow Creek Quilt Designs. Jill, who lives in Illinois America designs beautiful reproduction fabric inspired by the textiles of the Civil War era. I love the detail in these prints and the vibrancy of the palette. They just arrived late yesterday.

Shirting prints

Reds and Greens

Rich Browns and Vibrant Rust

Dark and Pale Blues

Unusual Violets and a Bright Pink

They are now on the shelves and listed here on my website.

Cut and bundled up

Tomorrow my oldest son plays off in a football preliminary final. He first started playing when he was only 10, and this year is the first time his team has made it into finals, just sneaking into fifth position in the last round. It has been an exciting journey over the past two weeks, and I must say I am already a little bit nervous for tomorrow. So while I am going to be cheering the side on, my lovely Mum will open the shop and have the heater on. Have a great weekend.

Keep on stitching, Lenora.

Arabesque is now listed

With spring on our doorsteps I have been doing a little bit of spring cleaning on my website. If you have been a regular visitor to my site, you will have noticed that over time I have simplified the way I have classified my fabrics.

In the early days I thought it was best to have quite a high level of structure, with fabric classified into specific genres, over time I have very much simplified this, I figure the less clicks and page loads you have to make, the more pleasant the experience.  When new fabric arrives into the shop, it is entered as a group onto the website under it's range name. Newest fabrics are always listed at the top. As bolts dwindle and find their way to loving homes, and only a few bolts remain in the range, I then close down that range and the bolts are moved into a group called 'Ungrouped fabrics' where they can live in happy company until they depart. Some times I just buy one or two bolts from a range because I can't let them pass, so these are also entered into the ungrouped fabric section. I keep the ungrouped section in alphabetical order, so the bolts still stay connected even though they are in a general grouping.  I appreciate how frustrating it is to load a new page only to find 2-3 bolts in that range. I hope that working with this system makes browsing me site enjoyable. So when you are searching around the fabric section of my site, please make your way to the very bottom to the ungrouped section, there are lots of treasures to be found.

While cleaning up my site, I discovered that I had not entered my Dutch Heritage fabric. I have great supplies of the beautiful  cream Arabesque fabric, the one Di Ford has used in her stunning 'Pendle Hill' quilt, featured in Primarily Quilts 2.

So if you have been wanting to make this quilt but have been unable to find this Arabesque fabric, I can certainly help out.

And a little note.

The local Nullawarre Hall where I run my Monday appliqué group and also classes, suffered a flooding event way back in May. I am really disappointed with the insurance company who are handling this, we are still yet to have the floor reinstated and it remains out of use. As such, I have had to make the decision to again cancel the Saturday Sojourn planned for September 23rd. I am really hoping that it will be ready for the following planned date of November 11. I will keep you posted. Our Appliqué group is running this Monday 4th September from the Nirranda Community Facitility.

Happy stitching, Lenora.

Timeless by Jo Morton

Just as I was leaving work yesterday, in came a delivery of 4 big boxes. I looked at my watch, then at the boxes, yes I had five quick minutes before the school bus was due. I quickly started emptying the boxes, delighted as each bolt was revealed. It was the 'Timeless' collection by Jo Morton from Moda Fabric.

Lovely dusty pinks

Brick Reds

Light Blues

Darker Blues

Chocolate Browns

Tans

Lighter prints

Light Tans

 

It is a wonderful range with some great impact prints for those small blocks we adore making.

So todays job as been to cut, fold, and settle this fabric into its new home. I have entered it all onto the website, you can click here to be directed straight to it. I will have fat 1/8th bundles available shortly. 

Happy stitching, Lenora.

Books For Busting The Stash

I have been spending a little time updating the website and entering some new products that have arrived over the past weeks. Some new books have arrived in with really good projects, perfect for using up those stashed fabrics. 

As the name states, this is a fabulous book with 101 small quilt projects. There is a great variety of projects, including wall quilts, table toppers and table runners. The projects are very achievable and could easily be completed on an industrious day or over a lazy weekend. 

It would be easy to have a few of these little projects sitting in a cupboard ready to gift to a friend who was going through a rough patch,  a neighbour who had offered assistance, or a relative who was visiting.

And here is another smaller book, but still with great projects.

Finally this beautiful book by Julie Hendrickson contains full sized scrappy quilts. Again wonderful stash busters. Feel free to come into the shop and flick through the pages, the inspiration is endless.

It is going to be a cold, wet weekend in my territory. I'm hoping to finish putting together my Little Boy's Britches quilt. I hope you can find a nice warm place and lots of stitching time.

Happy Stitching, Lenora.

 

Using The Negatives To Make A Positive

When I turned forty, my wise sister-in-law said to me, "Turning forty is actually quite liberating. You have spent the first half of your life doing things to please others, and you realise that you want to spend the second half doing things to please yourself." I have thought of this a lot over the past two months.

Lots more inspiration and ideas

With the loss of a worker on our dairy farm, I have been thrown back into full time milking at the busiest time of our year (5+hr of my day). It has been quite exhausting trying to run a household of seven, milking and running a retail business. Of course nothing has been done to full capacity. So I apologise if your internet order did not go out the day it was placed, if you arrived to the shop and I was running five minutes late, if I missed ordering that important item that you were waiting for or if I am yet to quilt your quilt. (My children are not sad that missed parent teacher interviews!). I really am sorry, because next to my family, this is the most important thing that I do and I really want to do it well.

There will be more time for designing

From the negatives have come a lot of positives. We now have new help on the farm and strategies in place so that my milking will be at an absolute minimum. It's also time I step back from some of the community service I have taken on. While milking I have had lots of thinking time. I thought of how I can improve upon displaying stock, packaging goods, and making the whole shopping experience better. I've also had great ideas for new patterns. I'm excited to be able to step back from the farm and put that time into improving what I do with Elm Grove Patchwork.

A new way of displaying my paper pieces. So much better!

So onward and upward, better days are ahead.

More Reproductions

Some lovely new reproduction fabrics have arrived over the past week. Firstly, eight bolts from Judie Rothermel's latest range American Swatch Book. I love these pinks.

but the blues are pretty nice too.

Then a selection of Karen Styles latest range, Devon County.

And to top up some purples, these bolts from Weeping Willows have also come in.

The 'Dairy Farmer' job I also hold has demanded a lot more of my attention of late. Unfortunately these fabrics have not been entered on the website but I hope to get them listed over the weekend. If you can't find them please don't hesitate to call me,  I can easily help you with a phone order.

The July Sojourn planned for this Saturday has unfortunately been cancelled. The Nullawarre Hall suffered a flooding event late April and frustratinly remains out of use. Thank you to all who had registered their interest, I am really sorry. It should be back in use for our next scheduled date on September 23.

Enjoy your weekend. Happy stitching.

A Fabulous Weekend With Di

What a wonderful weekend we just had with Di Ford-Hall.  She truly is an amazing teacher, offering boundless inspiration and encouragement.

Di brought with her all the quilts from her new book, 'Primarily Patchwork 2, Its all about the fabric'. And it truly is all about the fabric. It was wonderful seeing the quilts in real life.

The way Di uses fabric is exceptional. 

 

There was some lovely show and tell as well. First up Robyn showed her beautiful Morell Quilt. I was so busy admiring it I missed taking a photo. Luckily my brain switched on to capture a photo of Hazel's. I absolutely love this quilt and one day I will finish mine.

And here is a beautiful Antique Wedding Sampler made by Marlene.

It was a wonderfully inspiring weekend, which sadly passed way too quickly. 

Fancy a weekend with Di Ford-Hall?

I am very excited to have Di Ford-Hall visiting this weekend. There are still some vacancies if you fancy a last minute escape for a weekend of quilting pleasure.

Di will be bringing along all her latest quilts from her new book Primarily Patchwork 2, and she will talk us through her inspiration in making them, the techniques used and her fabric choices. There will then be the opportunity to sit and relax and work away at a current project of Di's which you have either started or are wishing to start. Di will be available to guide you with fabric selection, technique and endless inspiration.

If you are interested please do not hesitate to give me a call or send an email.

A New Space in time for The Friendship Frolic

Less than three weeks ago, I made the decision to convert my storage room into extra shop space. I am not quite sure why I place myself under this sort of pressure, I seem to be a serial offender for making decisions that involve an extreme amount of work, with short time frames. So two weeks ago, an existing cupboard was removed, opening into a lovely new space.

The quickest part of the whole process was actually cutting through the wall.

The longer process involved washing down and painting walls.

Removing the old lino, well more the glue that was holding the lino. We resorted to a wallpaper steamer to melt it off.

And then there were floor boards to polish. A huge shout out of thanks to my brother Terry who came to the rescue and spent his whole weekend even working through the wee hours of Sunday morning to see the job finished.

 With the final coats of paint applied, at 8.00pm the night before the friendship frolic, we started to move in.

The Friendship Frolic was once again a lovely week, with lots of ladies and gents passing through the doors, enjoying some of the specials that we had on offer. As part of the Frolic, Linda and I offered a combined $300.00 voucher for one lucky shopper and Barb Devine of Devine Quilting generously offered a second prize of a $150.00 machine quilting voucher. This year the lucky winner of the $300.00 voucher was Michelle Brugman. Congratulations Michelle, I am sure you will enjoy stocking up with supplies. And the second prize was won by Tammy Renwick-Patterson, congratulations to you too Tammy, I am sure you will be able to put it to good use.

It is so heart warming to see so many happy shoppers each year, enjoying a day of friendship and cheer with their quilting buddies. To hear the comments "we have been looking forward to this day for so long", "I really needed this day with my friends", and "Oh, I feel so inspired". It really does inspire us as shopkeepers to not only keep doing the things we are doing, but to forge ahead with new and exciting plans. Many thanks to you all.

 

Saturday Sojourns

Sojourn, verb stay at a place temporarily. Noun a temporary stay.  In Patchwork terms, journey to a place for a wonderful day of sewing and inspiration.

On Saturday 15th July, you are warmly invited to the first Elm Grove Sojourn. It is a chance for you to make the journey to Nullawarre and enjoy a day of friendship, stitching and inspiration along with the opportunity to spend time in the shop.

Date: Saturday 15th July

Venue: Nullawarre Memorial Hall, 2184 Timboon-Nullawarre Road, Nullawarre. (A short stroll from Elm Grove Patchwork)

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm

What to bring: Your current hand stitching and your latest finish for show and tell. 

Morning tea, sandwich lunch and afternoon tea will be provided, please bring your own food if you have any special dietary needs. You may also like to bring your own mug.

Cost: $20.00 to be paid upon booking. Bookings are now open.

Just to remind you, Nullawarre is the first or last town (depending which way you start the journey) on The Great Ocean Road, with beautiful coastline nearby.

Middle Island, Warrnambool. Home of Fairy Penguins and Oddball

Boats on the Hopkins River, Warrnambool

Lady Bay, Warrnambool

One of my favourite places, The Grotto, Peterborough

Endless accommodation options are available in Warrnambool which is an easy 20 minute drive west or Port Campbell 30 minutes south east. It is the perfect chance to gather some friends and make a weekend sewing escape. I hope you can join us. Bookings are now open, either by phone call or online, under the Classes and Events tab, or by clicking on this link.

Monday Applique Group

With yesterday being the first Monday of the month, we held our monthly appliqué group at the Nullawarre Hall. Show and tell is one of the highlights of the day, and yesterday we were shown some lovely quilts. 

Gardenhurst (designer:Irene Blanck) made by Annie

 

Henrietta and Friends (designer: Margaret Mew) made by Hazel

 

(sorry forget the name and designer) made by Marlene

 

Le Jardin (designer: Veronique of Wattlebird designs) also made by Marlene

It is always an inspiring day.

Happy Stitching!