Sydney Spring time

Just a quickie :)

I couldn't resist snapping a few (or alot) of pics today. The Sydney sun is out and the weather is warming up.....

and productivity is at an all time high - thankfully after a few hick-ups with jet lag last week.

I have a few projects that need designing/ finishing.....

on the wall of the shed at the moment is a quilt I'm making for Saffron Craig's new range Wombat Wonderland - my turn on the blog hop is the 29th September. I'm a bit worried because I'm the last in the blog hop! and everyone else has done a fantastic job :-/

anyway - I'm off. 

I need to pack my basket for teaching at Hobby Sew (Top Ryde - Sydney) tomorrow and fill the ladies in on my NYC adventures!

Fingers Crossed the weather keeps up

Xx Siobhan 

Spring time colours & Liberty Advice

I can feel spring in the air!

I'm a big fan of the in-between seasons.

I usually find that when the weather starts to change so does my fabric buying habit - take for example the linen that was delivered today (pictured below)

Yellow - Pink - Sand

all Linen/Cotton blends

all happy spring time colours

On the subject of Fabric buying

I had an email asking about Liberty of London Fabrics. Liberty of London Tana Lawn is a lovely soft fabric that can be on the $$$ side. I have made a few quilts in the last year or so with Liberty of London fabric - one being a queen bed sized that was in Down Under Quilts Magazine #151.

I had been collecting my fabrics for a really long time - buying 1/2 yards at a time. Some from shops in Paris, London, online from Purl soho and in person from Sydney Shop Calico & Ivy. It is beautiful and does make a lovely quilt. If your using the Tana Lawn Fabrics it can be a little slippery to sew with, I recommend using a spray starch to help make it stable and easy to handle. 

If anyone has a "Go To" shop to buy Liberty of London I'm sure everyone would love to see, leave a link and everyone can have a look.

I hope the weather keeps up in Sydney over the coming week - and the weather in New York City is lovely for my trip next week!

Xx Siobhan

Final Quilt Top - Little miss 5

Yep - so I decided to add the two extra boarders. Happy I did, I think it makes the Heather Ross fabrics stand out & frames it nicely. I'm planning on using the purple fabric to do the binding.

I have a whole pile of Heather Ross fabrics coming my way from old and new collections (thanks to etsy) - I'm looking forward to whipping up a few more quilts with it, its such sweet fabric

two of my favourite blocks - This one with the red & pink

and this one with the yellow, purple & pink

I'll be dropping it off tomorrow to Kim Bradley (my fav machine quilter). Unfortunately or fortunately I just don't have time to machine quilt it myself. 

My Work projects are piling up!!!

I have a project to complete out of Lu Summers new range for Fat Quarterly Magazine 

A big quilt to make for Lotta Jansdotters new range 'Bella"

A pattern to finish & quilt to deliver to CLOTH

and a few Magazine stories that need finishing by June!

I'm in fabric Heaven :)

Hopefully I'm picking up a few quilts when I go to Kim's tomorrow too, I'll keep you updated ;)

take care

Xx Siobhan

Little miss 5 - Quilt update

Apologies for the rough photo's 

Its been a big week for our house.

this is the quilt that I was putting together back here. I framed the blocks again & then decided on white sashing. 

I'm still contemplating another boarder of the two Heather Ross fabrics - I'll see how I go.

What do you think? I hope she likes it

part of the reason for mayhem in our house this week was because it was ANZAC day on wednesday in Australia. 

Our family marks the day by taking the kids to the march in the city & then coming home and having a snack of ANZAC biscuits that I have baked. there are lots of recipes floating around, I used this one.

Just a little tip

If you want flat biscuits - bake at a high temperature for 10 minutes

If you want round biscuits that are soft on the inside - bake on a low temp for 15/20 minutes

Brown sugar will give you a darker biscuit

White sugar will give you a golden biscuit

I used dark brown sugar, which is why this batch are so dark

I baked these at 150c in a fan forced oven for 15 minutes

Back to my multiple tasks that need finishing!

Xx Siobhan

Quilt for a Little Miss

I'm making a quilt for a very special 5 year old Girl.

Its a bit high pressured making a quilt for other people - children especially. 

Riffling through my fabric cupboard I happened across some Heather Ross Far Far Away 2 fabric. 

Bingo! exactly right for this little girl.

I forgot I had it...... Its circa 2010, that seems a life time ago.

I never quite had the right project for it and it somehow ended up at the bottom of the cupboard - forgotten till now.

I've teamed it up with a fat Quarter bundle I won (yes I won it!) in the I heart February linky contest with Pink Chalk Studio

First thing I have ever won - honestly!

The Colours mixed in Beautifully with the Heather Ross Far Far Away 2 fabrics.

I had no real plan, I cut big rectangle blocks of the far far away fabric - attempting to showcase the illustrations.

Then Framing them in the solids

I added in a yellow solid frame for a spark of interest

mixed the colours around a bit....

Then decided to add another boarder and to make the blocks square.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to finish the top off. 

In the mean time my own miss 5 yrs has decided that this is the best quilt in the world and doesn't want me to give it away (how predictable). So I have scoured etsy for Heather Ross fabrics & bought some to make her a new quilt with. I've gone with the horses & guitar prints - very up her alley.

I had no idea how hard it was to get hold of & then it got me thinking that its been a long time since Heather has had a new range out.......Hopefully something comes out soon.

Xx Siobhan

bags & bags

I'm not usually very good at following patterns - hence why I just make stuff up myself :)

but..... I saw this bag hanging at Calico & Ivy Balmain and figured it looked simple enough and bought the pattern (Amy Butler Nappy Bag). Hay presto! one bag made.

I left off all the fancy pockets and changed the handle to suit me - but all and all I followed the pattern. Very quick to come together, I was very surprised!

on another note I still haven't done the binding on my Union Jack king size quilt, one day.......... It's on the list, I actually have  about 5 quilts to bind :( I need a binding fairy.

Xx Siobhan

Continuing on

With the theme of little things 

(small projects)

This is actually a project that was cut from a magazine story (as does happen), so I thought I'd show you all.

These little place mats are so incredibly quick and easy to put together

I placed my sandwich together (back material - wadding- top material)adhesive sprayed it all together in a large rectangle.

I then found a plate the size I wanted and traced the plate onto the fabric. 

I then cut the shape out and machine quilted some straight lines - working from the middle out.

To finish off I used some pre made liberty binding.

Voila ! Done

I'm off to Melbourne this weekend for the Victorian Cancer Council Art Awards, Very excited to be going and seeing my work on display.

Any last minute tips on what to do or who to see???

Siobhan Xx

Big is not always best

Sometimes it's nice to do a little project

I can get carried away with my giant quilts, often when I think of patterns and designing quilts I think of big beds. Which is all well and good but not everyones cup of tea.

When I was finishing off my girls bedrooms I felt they needed just a little more on the walls, bright girly colour, nice quick simple projects.

off to stitch n sew

Xx Siobhan 

Lovely Linen

 Here we have the Linen & Liberty & Anna Maria Horner fabric I was working on. 


It's a perfect baby cot size or Lounge throw. It's lovely and soft because of the sparse hand quilting. Binding was done in Liberty of London and Anna Maria Horner fabric. 


I pre washed my linen in hot water and put it through the dryer, usually I wouldn't bother but because I was hand quilting and not densely I wanted the linen to stay put! no shrinking please.

Very easy - I would highly recommend you give it a go!

I wanted the hand quilting to  look very naive, I used a number 8 perle cotton and also doubled it over for thickness.

The back view of the quilt with the hand quilting showing through :)

Usual pile of Quilts hanging around somewhere in our house

Miss 4 had to get in on the photo action - never one to miss out.

This is a chair I'm thinking of upholstering  with some quilting...... I have two of them (the blue one),

Till Next Time Xx

Chicken Spots

The joy of children

Half of my mob have come down with the chicken pox (apparently called Chicken spots if your 4 years of age). So far all good - a few big awful spots and a bit itchy, but I am only on day two.So Im not home free yet. 

Lucky for me I have a bit of quilting to keep me occupied for my week at home house bound or trapped!!!!! some might even say.

Scrappy Quilt
This is Mrs Scrappy finally done and finished, I ended up binding her in a grey and white honeycomb - I think it's my new favourite neutral, it goes with everything!
anyway this Quilt is going to a lovely little one for her 1st Birthday = Happy Birthday Nyah :)

Scrappy Quilt

Scrappy Quilt

Scrappy Quilt

Be Square Quilt
The squares are so square! all right angles and exact. I especially like the way the squares jump out from the linen. Binding was done in my Fav pink paisley from Liberty of London, watch this space for some more liberty - I got gifted a nice little pile for my birthday not long ago, maybe this will be the week I cut it up??? Love Love Love Liberty.

Be Square Quilt

Be Square Quilt

Be Square Quilt
I've started machine sewing my Binding on - Is that naughty? It's much much faster.

Be Square Quilt