Windham Fabrics Houston Quilt Market 2012

I'm home plodding along - working on some new quilt patterns and the usual family stuff. Whilst a whole bunch of other people in the Quilting Community are over in Houston at the Trade show - Quilt Market!

Whilst I'm not in Houston one of my quilts is :)

Going back a month or so....

When I was in New York I popped over to Jersey City to Vist Windham Fabrics, I had been doing some quilt design work for them and thought it would be nice to put names to people and have a look around.

I also picked up some fabric to make a quilt for the Houston Quilt Market which is currently in full swing!

This range is called "Phoebe". The full range has 13 print and 5 solid fabrics. I added in the yellow as the backing.

When you don't have yardage it can be tricky to piece together a quilt. I was given mostly samples and cuttings - I went with a random large piecing to try and show off all of the new line

I really like the purples with grey and white.

I nearly added a bright red backing which looked great too - but yellow won out in the end, It reminded me of a painting I saw at the MOMA when sight seeing.

Artist Joan Mitchell from The MOMA New York 

I would have liked to use more of the light colour prints as binding - it looks lovely and fresh, 

the only reason I didn't do all the binding in the light print was because I ran out :(

Below are some pics of Windham Fabrics Head Quarters 

 Me with wonderful Lara!

I wish I had more time to hang out - everyone was so nice & fun.

If your interested in stocking or using the "Phoebe" range give them a yell
and if your at the Houston Quilt market right now then go check out the Windham Fabrics booth :) tell them I said hello!

 here are some other fabrics I took home with me :)

I was looking through my other picture, one week is no way near enough time to see everything - Hopefully I'll be back again soon 

 Xx Siobhan 

Pixels, Hexies & Roses

I've been working away

I had a bit of a shock when I looked at the date of my last post! 

Time gets away sometimes - I cant even tell you what I've been doing, its a blur. 

Lots of teaching which is a good thing and lots of sorting out kids.

I'm currently attempting to finish off a pixel quilt - its for a friends Mr 2yrs. 

 I've also re-caught the hexie bug and I'm crazily planning a big single bed quilt all in hexies.... lets see how my enthusiasm and attention span goes this time... 

my Hexie table from Freedom Furniture Australia

The Pixel quilt design is emerging as I go.

I was inspired a while back by some paintings Matthew Johnson did and truth be told Pixel art is everywhere at the moment. Uppercase magazine did a nice little homage to the pixel in issue 15 (very cool Canadian magazine)

To start with I had a fat quarter pack of solids from the Fat Quarter Shop and cut it all into 2.5 inch squares. With this I used 6 X 6 - 2.5inch squares to create 1 block. I pressed all my seams open as it will be long arm machine quilted and Kim prefers the seams open, I think its sits flatter too.

I spent the afternoon messing around with the lay out - so far I have 16 blocks made. 

I think I want 4 more blocks? and maybe different colours? 

I like my single bed quilts to be big - almost double bed size. It makes it easier to make the bed and stays on wiggling sleeping children in the night.

I'll have a play around tomorrow :)

 and look at my roses!

This is the first flush for the season. They smell divine.

before I forget!

Martine from Home Industry asked me to pass on some workshop info in Sydney, If you have ever wanted to try out Furniture Upholstery or maybe need a refresher - check it out.

Looks like lots of fun.

Hope your enjoying your week & wish me luck with my Pixels and Hexies!

Xx Siobhan

Finished Quilt

Im a bit short on words....

but wanted to show you all this :)

One little Quilt coming in at 55 inches square.

Machine pieced half square triangles.

Long arm machine quilted by Kim.

All 100% Cotton

Xx Siobhan 

What?

What drives you to make stuff?

I recently did an interview with an Australian Magazine and I had to answer so many questions.... Things I hadn't even thought of.

What drives you?

How do you create?

Whats your style?

Why do you do what you do?

these all seemed like very ordinary standard questions - but ones I hadn't give any thought to until they were asked.

The story proof came back today - gosh its strange to read about yourself...

even stranger to see a big fat portrait of myself glaring back at me!

some of my fabrics available on spoonflower

Xx Siobhan

Schools back!

Once upon a time I could do work whilst the kids were home on holidays - something changed these holidays. Not sure what...

anyway needless to say not much work was done over the last two weeks

I'm sure if i had this conversation with my nana she would have told me they have worms and I should give them all cod-liver oil.  

Maybe I should have.....

really I think they just desperately wanted all of my attention - Thats what I get for galavanting off to New York...

Just as well they went back to school today as Kim had two of my quilts ready to be picked up and I needed to finish them.

Quilt number one is a baby commission

quilt two is being couriered to the USA for photography and quilt market in Houston.

and if your my Down Under Dolly Quilt Partner - expect this in your mail box in the next day or two :))) cant wait to see what my partner made me!

Xx Siobhan 

Dolly Quilt swap

Truthfully I have never really had the need to make a Dolly Quilt - They look cute, but.....

I tend to make big quilts that go on beds.

But after having a bit of a look around and seeing the Down Under Dolly Quilt Swap flickr group - I had to give it a try.

They look cute and its nice to try tricky techniques but not be committed to a whole big bed quilt. 

Sarah Fielke has a bit of a thing for Dolly Quilts and also has a recent book that looks at the very idea above that I was talking about.

This little quilt took me two days! 

I fully intend on making a few tweaks and creating a bigger version - I love the colour combination and have some more coming my way.

I need to track down my fav liberty print - I've used it as the sashing and it was my last little bits.

first step - Choosing fabrics - searching through my scrap basket

& cutting

I could have left it at this - but decided to add some white

Then I wanted to add some fun with the tabs.

 At this stage I could have put on the binding and be done - but I decided if I had no binding the tabs could stick out.

Hopefully fingers crossed my Down Under Dolly Quilt Swap secret partner likes it!

Xx Siobhan