AWOL again and Donations

Hi everyone,
I'm so sorry I've not posted in a whole month. So if anyone is still reading this ... thankyou.
I am going to make a real effort to post at least once a week from now on.

So let me tell you what I am up to;
I have been making a quilt for my daughter, a TARDIS quilt. It's on my quilting frame at the moment, but I will take a photo of it when it's finished.
I finished a quilt for Aussie Hero Quilts

The embroidery on the yellow was done by another lady called Kerry. Those are my son's feet sticking out the bottom :)

We have been evacuated a few times because of the fires (we live in Winmalee). But our house is fine. A few good friends of ours lost their houses so I will be making some quilts for the families. Anna (my daughter) and I have already started one for her friend who lost everything (after just coming home from a major operation).

Anyone who would like to donate a quilt for families who lost their houses in the fires can contact me by email and I will make sure it is hand delivered to them.

November is National Novel writing month which I am participating in this year (the first time since 2009). But I also have some commissions due, so I will be very busy!

I'll write again soon

jennidee

Christmas is just around the corner! And it's challenge time!

And the next Patchwork and stitching issue with my angel doll in it is all Christmas themes;

You can just see my little angel next to the Christmas tree on the left.

I also have a small quilt project in the issue.

 

It has Suffolk puffs (or Yo-yos) as the berries.

And this seems like a perfect time to announce my upcoming challenge!

The Suffolk Puff Challenge.

You will have to make something with Suffolk puff (yo-yos) in it and send in a photo.
There will be a prize for the best entry, the best use of puffs, and a viewers choice. I'll announce the prizes.
The item can be any size.
To enter you do need to be a follower. There is also a small entry fee ... I'd like you to send me 5 Suffolk puffs in different sizes, because I saw this amazing quilt with loads and loads of puffs all over it like flowers and I'd love you to help me make it. I'll see if I can dig up a photo of it. It's in one of my LARGE collection of magazines.

The challenge will end on the 31st of January 2014. That gives you loads of time to make something.
More info soon - but get your thinking caps on, and please spread the work!
Jennidee

Teaser

So here is a teaser of what I am working on for the Australasian quilt challenge. Remember the theme is '10'. Of course I can't show you the entire design as that might breach the conditions of entry. But I can tell you this will be one beautiful quilt if my drawings are anything to go by ... now I just hope I can pull it off!!!!

Sewing Day

I just got back from a sewing day at Folklore in Penrith for Aussie Hero Quilts.
It turned out it was an excellent decision to go.
I was talking to a very lovely lady sitting next to me (who turned out to be Terina) and we were chatting about her daughter Lucy (who was also there sewing). And Lucy had brought in her quilt Soldier On for everyone to view up close.

Imagine my surprise when I realised Lucy was Lucy Carroll whose blog I've been following and Soldier On is the amazing quilt which won best pictorial quilt at the Sydney Quilters Guild show (that I'd been drooling over at the show, and it was the reason I started following her blog). What a small world it is!

Lucy and her mum are both such nice people and her mum lives just a few streets over from we. I hope we can get together for some more quilting soon and Lucy and I can perhaps swap ideas and work on art quilts.

I'm thrilled to actually meet another art quilter. And to meet another quilter who lives so close. It was the reason I went - to meet more quilters, and boy did I hit the jackpot.

And on top of that, Jan-Maree and all the other lovely ladies who I sewed with today were so much fun to be with. I had a wonderful time and will be going back whenever I can (they meet once a month.

So ... a nice story for me today.

Jennidee

People, Place, Nation

Well, my quilt wasn't successful for the People, Place, Nation (National Quilt 2013, Australia) exhibition. But I guess that means I can show it to you now.
I called it Memory of Heroes;

 Detail

And here is what I wrote about it;

People, Place, Nation – Artist statement

One of the most significant meeting places in Canberra is the Australian War Memorial. People of all ages visit throughout the year and gather for special celebrations such as ANZAC day. Inside the memorial the most stirring place for me is the Hall of Memory.  Every time I visit there I am deeply moved. Looking up at the ceiling, the images of the angels have always stirred my blood.

My Quilt, ‘Memory of Heroes’ aims to interpret the emotions bound within this extraordinary monument. I have used the shapes of the blazing sun and the angels and created my own version of them, using softer, curved lines in many places, and patchwork and quilting to represent the mosaics. The small men at the bottom of the major angel always looked like soldiers in a gun salute to me, so I have represented them this way.

I added the legacy flames at the sides of the composition to represent the work of men and women which continues to support the enlisted and their families.

This is my first major art quilt and I have learned much in it’s creation.

 

Oh well, there is always next year, right? Thanks for reading, Jennidee

 

Winner of the Flamingo Guessing Competition

And the Winner is .....

Bev

Bev guessed that it was a flamingo right in the first post and had ten chances to win. I put all the names into a random name picker and hers came out. I guess she had the odds in her favour!

Here is the completed cross stitch.

Art Nouveau Flamingo is now on it's way to the editor of Embroidery and Cross Stitch Magazine where the chart will be published (just in case you are interested in stitching it yourself).

 

Bev has won herself a $20 voucher from the Stitching Post

 

Would you like another guessing competition, or some other kind of competition? Leave a comment.

Thanks so much for reading

Jennidee

 

Girl Power

Girl Power is now finished and available at
ETSY and
EBAY

I have also added a +1 gadget to my blogger side bar in the hope of boosting my readership.

I'm almost done with the cross stitch so we can have a winner of the guessing competition.
It now looks like this;

 

Though it's a poor photo - I need to work on my photography a bit.

But not long now and I will draw a winner of the Stitching Post $20 voucher. It's not too late to enter. Just guess what the cross stitch is in a comment. Hopefully even from this poor photo it will be obvious now.

Thanks again to Stitching Post for supplying the voucher.

 

 

See you next time , Jennidee

Little Fox

Hi everyone
I have a little fox pattern in the next issue of Patchwork and Stitching Magazine

He was made with really Funky prints material. My daughter wanted him as soon as he was finished and when he came back form photography she grabbed him for her room. My husband thinks he's really funny (which for him is a compliment).

 

This looks like an awesome issue actually and I can't wait to get my contributors copy. The hedgehogs look too cute and the pillow is pretty too.

 

Anyway, it's due out a the newsagent's soon.

 

Thanks

Jennidee

Updating Patterns

All of these are now available at my ETSY pattern store.

Just click on the 'Buy my Patterns' link on the right.

There is more to come next week.

 

Question ... Have you ever

had a quilt or quilt block framed?

This isn't my work ... I grabbed it from Frame works of Sussex http://sussexframes.net/services which isn't anywhere near me
(but I liked the quilt and I needed a picky ... can't have a blog post without a picky, that's boring! LOL)

I imagine if you had done a more artistic work, or used unusual fabrics, or it was a bit smaller it would work well. I have used canvas frames with some textile art, but never sprung for proper framing. (oh look - another picky - this one IS my work).

 

So anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone who has framed, or considered framing quilts or blocks,
Jennidee

Lots Going On

Firstly; here is your next guess for the cross stitch ... surely it's obvious now! LOL As I said, some people have already guessed correctly.

This has been accepted for Embroidery and cross stitch magazine.

 I decided to give confetti quilting a go. And here is the result.

 It's quite warped, and I will never use that stabiliser again for this purpose. I'll use the firmest I can buy in future, as I did quite a bit of stitching in the tree trunk, which did the warping.
Thanks to Gail Hut for her video tutorial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X67xrvKOek
I haven't bought the confetti powder yet, so I used a spray basting glue. The first time I tried it, it blew the pieces everywhere and I learned I had to spray up high and directly on top.
I'm very happy with the tree which I spent the most time on. I sucked at the undergrowth as I just lost patience with the whole project. So another thing I learned is to choose subject I enjoy working on. I'm really not much of a landscape person, much as I admire the work people do on those quilts. i just got bored with it.

And lastly, here is my current WIP which I'm calling Girl Power as it is so bright and girly already with more girly fluff to come. Sorry the picture is a bit warped. I took it from above the quilt, which was lying on the table.

I quietly confident it will be ready for the Mad Quilters trade show in Penrith next weekend where patterns will be available. Patterns will also be available on my ETSY account when it's finished.

Thanks for reading. See you next time

Jennidee

My headache has finally gone!

I'm starting to feel human!
So here is guess number 7.

Sorry it is a little blurry, taken from my phone. But I think it gives you a pretty good idea of what it is now?

I won't get another chance to work on it until next week now probably as I am finishing off a few unpaid (but with a deadline) projects.

 

And the winner for the fabrics;

 

Shez and Rhona.

 

I pulled out Shez's name first so she can choose and then Rhona gets the other one. Shez, you can email me with your choice and your address so I can post it. Rhona, could you please email me with your address too so I can post yours as soon as Shez has chosen.

Thanks for playing everyone.

 

Jennidee

Sorry, Busy and sick

Just a quick note to say I'll update tomorrow.
I've just had a super busy week making a quilt in just two and a half days from start tot finish (never want to do that again). Then I had three long days working at the child care centre, school holiday care (I'll NEVER have to do that again, as I've now finished working there HOORAY).

And just to finish things off nicely I think I have larangitis (if my voice is anything to go by). I've got a doctor's appointment to go to in about an hour.

So I just wanted to say I haven't forgotten give aways and competitions. I'll post with a winner of the fabrics, and another clue for the cross stitch tomorrow, plus a longer update on what's coming up.
Jennidee

New Pattern Available

Introducing Sow Joy;

The pattern for this lovely little wall hanging is now available at my ETSY store
https://www.etsy.com/listing/155879873/stitchery-quilt-pattern

It is currently not available anywhere else. It's listed for $9.95, there is no shipping as it is instant download.

I hope you will pop over and have a look.

More clues for the guessing competition coming VERY soon.
Thanks
Jennidee

Can't hide it forever

This is clue number 6, and it's becoming obvious what it is now. Well, I tried to fool you, but I had to stitch the main figure eventually! So tell me what it is and I'll enter you into the draw for the $20 gift voucher from the stitching post.

 There have already been 2 correct guesses and they get 10 and 8 entries respectively. The next three correct answers get 6,4 and 2 entries. But don't forget you can get more entries by mentioning the competition on your blog or other site and letting me know by email that you've posted a link.

And here is a pic of the pin cushion I made (mostly) while on my anniversary break. It was so much fun I couldn't stop. But now that it is finished I have gone back to stitching the pink thing (you probably know what it is now!)

Thanks again everyone for following or reading my blog.
jennidee

Hint 5 and Victoria House

I haven't had much progress on the cross stitch. I did take it away with me intending to work on it, but that was before I walked into Victoria House (more on that later). I did get a little done on Monday though, sorry it's a bit blurry. I guess it's not likely to help much.

 Wednesday to Friday my husband and I took a little trip down to Mittagong and stayed in the lovely Lyn cottage. Just down the road from where we stayed is the Victoria House needlework shop.
http://www.victoriahouseneedlecraft.com.au/blog/

OMG!!!!!

I wish I lived closer. They are online, but nothing beats seeing the samples up close and being surrounded by all the gorgeous charts, kits and supplies. There is one room JUST for threads and stitching fabrics.

The lovely owner, Dionne, allowed me to take photos to share with you. There are 10 rooms stuffed with stock.

 Upstairs is most of the wonderful array of needle point canvases. I'm going to have to bring my mum here, and she'd better save up before hand.

My favourite room by far was the Mirabillia room. I could have spent thousands in there ... if only I had the time to stitch them all. There are more Mirabillia kits and charts scattered throughout the store.

Dionne also has a blog;

I bought a few little Mill Hill bead stitchery kits and started one in the cottage. It's nearly finished and I'll post a photo in the next day or two.

I was SUPER inspired by being in there and you can expect to see more stitching work from me soon.

Jennidee

Saturday's Clue

Well, I actually did get some stitching done, so today's clue is both written and stitched.
Here is the progress;

And the only written clue I will give is this; The pink curve at the top is as high as the design gets, but there is still quite a lot at the bottom of the design that I haven't stitched yet.

 

Confused?

 

Well there is plenty more stitching to come which will make it easier I'm sure.

 

Just for those who have missed the last posts;

this is a guessing competition. Guess what I am stitching and you can win a $20 gift voucher donated by The Stitching Post. They stock both needle craft and patchwork supplies and designs. All you have to do to enter is to guess. I won't tell you what it is yet, even if someone does get it right.

Please tell other's about the competition, I'd like to expand my viewer base. If you do post a link to my blog and this competition, send me an email , and I'll give you 5 entries ... just send me an email with the link (jenni@ exemail .com.au) without spaces of course

 

Thanks for playing

Jennidee

Today's Clue

All I will give you today is the progress from stitching yesterday.

Hmmmm, does that help at all? LOL

The fabric that I have used is called Angel Wings from Stitches and Spice
http://www.stitchesandspice.com.au/

I'm not sure if I'll get much time for stitching today, maybe tomorrow will have to be a written clue.

Keep guessing, you can guess as many times as you like.
And remember I won't tell you if you are right at this stage.

Jennidee

Oh This Is Fun

Thankyou so much to the three ladies who had a guess. You've made my morning. I love the fact that cucki and Shez know me well enough to guess things I've stitched in the past.
I won't tell you if anyone was right, until much closer to the end of the stitching, to draw out the competition a bit.

Today's hint: It is a living thing

And a BIG thankyou to the Stitching Post who have donated the voucher.

I had a look around their store and if I was spending the voucher I would choose;
A Little bit of Country as a patchwork project.

or : Fern by Nora Corbett as a stitching project

Keep guessing!
Jennidee

Guessing Competition

Can you guess what I'm stitching?
If you can you can win a $20 gift voucher from The Stitching Post
http://thestitchingpost.com.au/
They are not affiliated with me in any way, I just thought it would be great to have a voucher which can be used by both my cross stitching and my patchwork friends.

OK here are the rules;

GUESS WHAT I AM STITCHING

This photo shows you the scale of what I've done so far.

This photo shows you the shape of the stitching.

You can guess as many times as you like.

I will give new clues everyday.

The first correct guesser will get 10 entries, the next correct guess will get 8, next will get 6, and so on. Every correct guess gets one entry.

If you would like more entries, mention the competition on your blog, or another site (facebook, whatever) link back to this blog post and send me an email (jenni @ exemail.com.au ... without spaces) with the link.

The fabric giveaway is still also open. it will close at the end of the month (June 2013).

Good luck!
Jennidee

My Quilt in the Next Patchwork and Stitches

That's my Crinoline Lady Quilt on the front cover. She is one of the nicest quilts I've made I think.

Here is a shot of the full quilt I took this afternoon.

The crinoline lady is applique and so are the flower borders (apart from the button sewn in the middle). The hearts are also applique and the lattice is a pieced border. She is quite heavily quilted with a spiral design around the applique.

I can't wait to get her hung on my wall, though she's big enough to sit on the bed really.

The issue with pattern and instructions will be out soon.

 

And don't forget the fabric giveaway (see previous blog entry). There have only been a few entries so far, I'd love you to spread the word about it.

Thanks

Jennidee

Give away

Hello everyone. I guess I've been a bit quiet lately. I've been experimenting with creating my own fabrics using a few different mediums.

I have two fabrics to give away to followers.

 

 

The fabrics have been washed after the colour was applied, so they should stay this vibrant with gentle hand washing. I have used a textile marker set and Inktense pencils. The designs are my originals and will not be repeated exactly. I have reused the butterfly shape in a dying experiment which I will show at a later date. Each fabric piece is signed.

Hair is 30cm x 23cm and the butterfly is 21cm x 26cm. They would look terrific made into journals, wall hangings, pillows, bags, whatever you can imagine.

 

The first name out of the hat can choose between the two fabrics and the second name gets the other one. To enter you must be a follower and leave a comment. For a second entry mention the give away on your blog and post a comment here with a link to your blog.

 

I've also been cross stitching a tiny bit. I made these dalek earrings for my Dr Who mad daughter.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by
Jennidee

What? Christmas already??

Well it is time to do Christmas projects if you want them to make it into the magazine later in the year. Projects need to be into the magazine around 6 months before publication, and then the magazine needs to get it out a little before Christmas.
So here is a pic of my messy WIP Christmas 2013 quilt.

Those of you who have known me a little while know that I have a small part time job at a day care centre to pay the bills until my designing work can support me ... well things aren't looking great at the centre. There are plans to bring in a trainee, who would cost half of what I do to pay per hour. That will mean my hours will be cut to virtually nothing (yeah so much for loyalty and the value of expertise!). What that means is, I have to find other work. I am looking around, but there isn't a lot of part time work in my area that I am qualified or experience enough to do.

I'm going to apply for an activity co-ordinator position which I think would suit me nicely. However, the fact that I think it will suit me, does not mean I'll get the job (sad but true LOL). It is more hours than I'm doing now which would mean I'd have to scale back the design work.

Well I'll keep you posted on what happens,
thanks for reading
comments are most welcome
jennidee

Mermaid on the Rocks Now Available

I'm delighted to announce that the pattern for Mermaid on the Rocks is now Available.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/150048399/mermaid-applique-quilt-pattern?ref=shop_home_active

This is a physical pattern.
This pattern is not available in any magazine.
Just $12.95

More patterns will be available very soon.
Jennidee

2013 Springwood Quilt Show

This morning I had a look aorund the Springwood Annual Quilt Show with my mum. There were lots of lovely quilts on display.
Here's me with my entry - Mermaid on the Rocks. The pattern for this will be available from May 1st.

 

I'm still wearing the white glove you have to wear if you want to look at the back of the quilts. I wanted to take a peek at binding treatment and labels this year, to make sure I was doing them right ... I'm pretty sure I got them right.

The only prize at this show is a viewer's choice. This one was my choice. It is all hand appliqued and quilted. What a massive achievement.

 This one was mum's favourite and her pick for the viewer's choice. The outside borders are done with machine embroidery in tiles and then sewn together.

 We were only allowed to choose one quilt for viewer's choice, but this one came in a close second for me.The blues together were striking and some of the applique images were quite art nouveau in style all though the quitl was called symbols of Japan.

 This one was my third choice and the first quitl I noticed as I walked in. The photo doesn't really do the colours justice.

I met the owner of this quilt as I was admiring it. It took her a year to finish (she had a young son in tow, so no woner really). It has lots of really pretty details like applique butterflies and stitchery. She said it was well worth the effort and I agree with her totally.

Most of the quilts were on a larger scale than mine. I'm not sure the smaller quilts get much attention and I would like to spinsir an award for the smaller quilt next year (if it is permitted).

Mum and I also enjoyed looking at the trader stalls and I bought a few buttons and a pile of used magazines.

Hope you enjoyed this small snapshot of a very successful show,
Jennidee