A sewing retreat and 'Vintage Happy'

Hello lovelies, it's been pretty busy over here at Crystalbrook Cottage.  So I have loads to share with you so this might be a long post.  School holidays have been and gone, Easter too, and now the weather has decided its indeed time to prepare for winter.  Downpours of rain and some amazing lightning shows have occurred (usually at night which is convenient) so I'm afraid the heater has been put on a few times.  It's during these cold cold nights I am truly grateful for the roof over my head, the food in my belly, the clothes on my back and people who love me.  All this time indoors is a wonderful excuse to sew, would you agree?

Well last post I promised you a look at my Harry Potter Quilt... well its far from being a quilt at the moment... but its a start.  So far I've only managed three blocks.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

 I thought this project would be a good excuse to practice my foundation paper piecing skills.  This pattern was designed by one of my favourite designers/bloggers, Jennifer Ofenstein from sewhooked.com.  Check it out - there are loads of free patterns on her site.  If you don't already know Jennifer she is a paper piecing fanatic and lover of all things Harry Potter.  Jennifer does a vblog every Tuesday called Talk to Me Tuesday and her enthusiasm is contagious.  This Harry Potter quilt along is called the Project of Doom.

Jennifer's Harry Potter Quilt

Close up!

I'm afraid I wasn't much into Harry Potter when it first came out.  After reading Jennifer's blog for some time now I got curious and bought the books and the movies - wow, what a ride!  JK Rowling has some serious imagination!

Back in March Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne held the Australian Textile Exhibition to showcase patchwork and craft items with an Australian theme.  Whilst I'm not much into Australian themed prints, it was wonderful to attend and see what some very talented people have made.  Here are a few of the pics I took of things that made an impression on me:

Late March I decided that I really needed a few days away to recharge the batteries - a sewing retreat just for me.  So I scoured the internet for a little country hideaway and found Sinnamons Cottage, just a few hours out of Melbourne.  Its a renovated miners cottage as this area has a rich history in gold mining.  I intentionally chose this area as there are some lovely patchwork/craft shops as well as antique shops in the area - two of my favourite things.

I was not disappointed.  It was beautiful, quiet, quaint, charming, simple and luxurious all at the same time.  I must admit it was a little daunting at first... going away on my own.  What if I got lonely?  What if something happened?  Who would be there to help me?  But then I reminded myself that I'm a strong woman, who raised three children, part of the time on her own, and that I would most likely be too busy to get lonely.  And guess what??? I LOVED it!

From the street

Hidden behind a lush cottage garden is a little hideaway

Through the side gate

Sit out on the verandah and listen to the birds

A stunning rose in full bloom

Tea in the garden anyone?

Four chickens who said hello every morning

Fresh eggs for breakfast!

The garden path along the back

The lounge room - I sat by the fire each night with my hand sewing

Fresh cotton linen with fluffy pillows and a thick doona - oh and an electric blanket adds extra warmth - nice and toasty!

The dining table where I set up my sewing machine.

The back room containing the kitchen and laundry.

The kitchen has all the modern appliances.

I only had to look after myself, I could spend as much time as I liked doing exactly what I wanted.  And, I was so busy, that I didn't get much sewing done lol.  On the way up I visited Pick Up Stitches at Kyneton (a lovely selection of yarn and fabrics), then in Maldon The Village Patch (a great selection of general fabrics and novelty prints with wonderful prices) and of course, Threadbear in Castlemaine (an oh so gorgeous shop specialising in reproduction fabrics).  Everyone I met was so friendly and helpful.

Whilst I was away I managed to finish 'Vintage Happy'.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the pattern for this quilt is here: http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/12/raw-edge-circle-quilt-tutorial.html


I am so so pleased with how she turned out (the pics don't really do it justice).  I was a bit skeptical about the orange binding, but once it was on it looked great.  I can't bear to part with this one.

Well I think thats possibly enough for this post but I have so much more to share - I'll leave that for the next post.

Until next time

Leanne x

A day with Michelle Yeo!

My Homespun magazine submissions are done and dusted!!! I can't tell you what a relief it is, but also what an enormous privilege it is to be appearing in the August and September issues of one of Australia's leading craft magazines.  Now onto getting the online shop up and running by then!

At our last guild meeting we were truly blessed to meet the ever inspiring Michelle Yeo.  Michelle brought with her about three suitcases of her beautiful quilts so it was a day of ohhhhs and ahhhs as each one was so beautifully pieced and quilted.  These photos are just a few, as some of the time I was a quilt holder lol.

Michelle's passion is to design and create quilts using antique quilts as her inspiration and she certainly sets the bar high.  Many of her quilts involve quite complex piecing.  The results are stunning as you can see from these photos.

Michelle also kindly shared with us her family life, juggling her passion with her part time job, her design process along with tips and techniques she uses.  We were simply amazed at how many quilts she has made over the years!  But every ounce of spare time is focused into these quilts... many of which are hand pieced!  Our guild is looking to book a workshop with Michelle in the near future.

I purchased her new book 'Of Needle, Thimble and Thread' which she signed for me and a pattern called Chester County.  The book is great value containing 18 of Michelle's patterns.

I've always admired reproduction fabrics but felt a little daunted by them.  I thought Chester County, with its foundation piecing (which I love) would make a great first quilt and introduction to the world of reproduction fabrics.  We never stop learning and from Michelle's book I have also learned a new method of foundation piecing using freezer paper.

So last weekend, whilst DH was off playing his sport, I took a little trip to Somerset Patchwork in Vermont.   Ohhhh my, it was like stepping back in time.  The quilts on display were absolutely beautiful.  Its such a light, airy and uncluttered shop and the staff are very helpful.

Border fabric

This was my resulting purchase.... mmmm yep, I went a little overboard but this will set up a little collection for me.  I will no doubt have enough to make Chester County but also play with a new design I'm working on for Crystalbrook Cottage.  Many of these fabrics are from Karen Styles' new range called 'Victoria Park'.  As many of you know, Karen Styles is actually the owner of Somerset Patchwork.  Also the pinks in this collection I might use in my Dear Jane quilt that I will start one of these days (you know, in my SPARE time lol) in pink/brown/cream.

In other quilty news, I managed to finish my son's pirate quilt a few weeks ago... the finished top had only been sitting in the cupboard for the last.. oh... 5 years.

Pirate quilt

Every now and then he would ask about it but the truth is, its only recently, actually since our Pauline Rogers quilting workshop, that I have been happy enough with my quilting to quilt it myself.  I FMQ it with rolling waves which turned out more like flames - either way it looks great!

I'm proud to say its done now, off the UFO list and onto his bed.  He loves it and uses it all the time which warms my heart.  He's 16 now, much older than when we first put it together... he even sewed some of the blocks... but he still loves it.

Also, Vintage Happy has been put together into a quilt top now. 

I've purchased the backing, wadding and binding and am looking forward to seeing it complete.  These fabrics, called 'Vintage Happy' by Lori Holt (Riley Blake Designs) were purchased in a fat quarter bundle and I added a few extra fat quarters to get the size I wanted.  The pattern design is by Cluck Cluck Sew and I absolutely love it.  Its busy, but it really does make me happy!  I have some bits and pieces leftover (love those bonus scraps!) so I have a few ideas in the works ;)


Well thats all from me for now, next post I will show you my Harry Potter quilt that I am slowly working on and a little quilt show that was held at our local botanical gardens last month.

Until next time,

Yours in Stitches

Leanne x