Willow Valley Store

I haven't written much about patterns in the shop for a while so I thought it was a good time to do it. I have just put Willow Valley Store as the featured designer on the website and I'm giving 10% off all Catherine's patterns if you email me and let me know you read it here or on SewArmadillo's Facebook page. The designs are gorgeous, most have a very vintage feel to them, all have some form of stitchery on them as well. These are just a few of my favourites.

This is Wednesday is Mending Day, not much stitchery on it, but lots of buttons and ric rac and other fabulous vintage style.

The Country House - this is my personal favourite, it is on my 'to do' list. One day I must write them all out but I would probably scare myself.

Monday is Washing Day - this is fabulous, a real old fashioned peg bag, with a great vintage style stitchery design.

Vintage Revival - this one is for all the Crinoline lady lovers out there. She is so pretty surrounded by flowers. It is shown on a bag but looks wonderful framed as well.

Fabulous doll

Today I am posting a wonderful picture of a doll made by one of my fabulous customers. The doll is Snowdrop & Frosty, and is a Jill Maas pattern. And it was made by the talented Shelly of Queensland. Isn't it great. She is all done in white and I love her. Check out the pearls and the cute little bunny she is carrying.  Snowdrop is actually on my list to make, but I haven't made a doll for ages so I don't know when she will happen.  

GOOD JOB Shelly.

First quilts of 2013

I did some sewing in January, trying to get a few things done and use some of my fabric. And to stop procrastinating. I managed to get three quilts done, at least the tops are done. That is all I need to finish to call it a finished project. Sometimes they can take a couple of years to get quilted, unless I need them for something and then they get done pretty quickly. One of my 'resolutions' this year is to try and quilt some of my smaller quilts so one of these is pinned ready for my first attempt.

This one is a small baby quilt. The florals I had for years (many) and they were all fat eighths and I couldn't decide what to do with them. On about 1st January I decided they had to be used so I just cut them into 2.5" strips and made a quick and easy baby quilt. This one is pinned ready for me to attempt to quilt it. I just need a bigger table than I am sewing on at present.

This one is another quick and easy. I had a 'turnover' in pretty colors so I just put white with them and made a simple quilt - using the Janelle Wind Chevron Pillows pattern. Another baby quilt.

And this one is almost the same as the one I did for my brother for Christmas. This one is organized though. I set out the colours in an arrangement to show of the black and gold, and the orange and gold. It's much richer in real life.

Interesting names

I spent a large part of today on the telephone, and I spoke with two lovely ladies with very unusual names - one was Euni and the other was Basilica (not sure of the spelling for either). Aren't names fabulous things? I saw a program on TV in the last few days talking about do names help or hinder in life. The program basically said they don't make a lot of difference.  But it must be hard to choose a name for a new baby, the child has to live with it forever (or change it if they really don't like it).

List Number One

I saw something on a blog the other day that really appealed to me. It is a weekly list blog along. Haven't quite worked out how to get the links and stuff yet, but wanted to get started as we are already on week 3 of 2013.
So this is going to be my first list. It is quilts I want to make in 2013. It will be interesting to see how many get made. I will try and put pics with the list later, and will also try and join the rest of the blogging community who are doing it.

List # 1

Quilts for 2013

1)        Dresden variation – from a tutorial I found online, I think from Hyacinth quilts. Love it and I have someone in mind to give it to.

2)      Quilt for Liam – he is my cousin’s child, I made him a quilt when he was born and he is turning 17 this year. I think it’s about time I made him another one. I need to talk to his mother first though.

3)      Pretty Dresses – this one is already started. It is a commercial pattern (can’t think of the designer) and I am doing it with Kaffe fabrics for the dresses.

4)     Scrappy Round the World – a Bonnie Hunter quilt that I love and  will use some of my scraps and some from my stash.

5)      Gold Spinning Mountains – I’m working on this one at the moment. It is an original design.

6)      Union Jack quilt – this is one I wanted to do last year as a Quiltalong. I signed up but never got around to doing it.

7)      Jamie’s quilt – Jamie is my beloved son-in-law and he is turning 40 and needs a quilt. No ideas for it yet.

8)      Daisy Dance – this is one I found in a magazine, done in 1930s and very pretty, appliqué and pieced.

9)      Honey Bun quilt – I have a pretty Honey Bun here that I want to make up. No pattern yet.

10)                 Dresden Plate sample – this is the same as the one I gave Lysa for Christmas. It is a sample for the shop. Another original.

11) 1930s Circles – I’ve already made one from this pattern that was in a magazine and I really liked it. Just want to do some more 1930s quilts.

12)                 Indian Elephants – I saw a quilt made in India with elephants on it and I love the design so I’m going to adapt it and make a quilt for me.

13)                 Black and White for Fiona – this one has been on the list for a couple of years. This year it will be done.

14)                 Chevron quilt – I have a Turnovers pack and I’m going to use it to make a Chevron quilt from Janelle Wind’s Chevron cushion pattern.

15)                 Zig Zag quilt – this is inspired by a pillow on Zen Chic’s blog. Love it, don’t have any ideas on colour or anything but I really like the design.

16)                 Feather Quilt – another one from a blog, I think it was Anna Maria Horner. It’s gorgeous, may not happen, but I would like to do it.

17)                 All Through the Night Blue – this one I have all the fabrics for. It is a pattern by Bonnie Sullivan that appeals to me. I am doing it in clean blues and purple. 

Happy New Year & Stash

Well, we all made it to 2013 without the world coming to an end. And I have made a 'New Year's Resolution' (sort of). I am cleaning up my sewing room/office and all my fabric. I made a start late in December because I didn't have to go out anywhere and everything was quiet. I'm really suprised and happy about how much I have already got done. I had a big bin of 1930s fabrics (I'm a bit addicted to them) and I finally got around to that a few days ago, and now it is all done.

Here it is, all nicely folded and piled in the cupboard. Now I just need to make some more quilts with it. There is also a small box of scraps you can't see. I folded everything about the same, but couldn't bring myself to be too fussy about it. The row in the middle is all fat quarters that I hadn't even opened.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Well I got everything done for Christmas that I had planned. Unfortunately I didn't make it to Tasmania to visit but I had a couple of chats with Jo. I miss seeing her and Sophia but maybe next year we will get to spend more time together. 
Got lots of quilts and stuff made for gifts this year. I tried making some pants for Sophia, and forgot to take a picture. Hopefully Jo will take one and send it to me.
Here are the other quilts that got done for all my special people.

This is Jo's quilt. She saw it when she was here last Christmas and said she loved it. So I had it quilted and gave it to her. It is a Woolylady pillow pattern (tweaked a bit) done with Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

This one is for Gai. It is an original design.

Courtenay and Ben's quilt - another original design

Brodie & Monique's quilt - this is a Jaybird pattern with just a little tweaking.

I love this quilt, it is a simple dresden plate that I gave to Lysa, my sister-in-lay

David's quilt 

Millie's quilt - done from a Jean Boyd pattern called Paws and Claws and done in 1930s fabrics.

and this may be my favourite - it is an I Spy done for Kobie. Another original design.