I Hope This Helps...

Recently I have had many emails and phone calls from women who have had difficulty in getting some of my patterns, particularly some of my Block of the Month patterns. This blog entry is, in my own sheer desperation, an attempt to help you out.

I will not go into details, if it effects you, you will know what all this is about. I am having closed comments only on this blog entry as I do not want this to be a negative thing but simply a way of helping out those of you who are contacting me. This means I can read your comments but no-one else can.

If you have been left needing Block of the Month patterns to complete an already started quilt my first advice is to contact your local quilt shop for assistance. If however, they are unable to help you this might help you. Foothills Fabric & Threads, the local shop where I do much of my teaching, are willing to individually assist ladies in obtaining patterns that they might be missing.

If, for example, you are missing Block 9 and 10 of 'Journey of a Quilter' you can contact them and they will mail order them for you. If you need fabric to complete your quilt the ladies at Foothills Fabric & Threads will aim to help you as well, although this may be difficult with older fabrics of course.

Foothills Fabric & Threads can be contacted at:

Shop 3, 1567 Burwood Highway, Tecoma, Victoria, Australia 3786.

Phone in Australia: (03) 9754 6166 Phone Overseas: 61 3  9754 6166

email: [email protected]

When I design a quilt, especially a Block of the Month Quilt, it is my full intention to bring nothing but sheer joy in not only the stitching but the entire experience, including for many of you, the excitement of waiting for the mailman to arrive each month with a package from your chosen quilt shop. I hope, above all hopes, that you will continue to wish to participate in my current, and future Block of the Month quilts.

Leanne Beasley

Raw Edges and More Skipping Boys...

My 'Loxton Vines' quilt is off to the machine quilters (I whipped that up pretty quickly eh?). Actually I have fallen in love with raw edge applique and just couldn't stop stitching really:

Seeing as I'll be teaching it as an 'introduction to raw edge applique class' I decided to see if I could stitch it with just a normal sewing machine foot, rather than a free motion foot - it worked! This means no-one needs to purchase an additional foot just to have a go at raw edge applique. So much fun, can't wait to start teaching this class!

Raw edge applique means that the quilt top can be made in a few days!

 

I've designed the quilt in such a way that you get to do all the machine applique in a block, then you stitch the blocks together. As you can see this makes it very easy to manipulate around the sewing machine:

If you're a regular reader you may also remember this quilt from Christmas last year:

I made it for my brother and his divine wife for Christmas. They are both very much into design and so I was thrilled when they were happy with it. They are the proud parents of my little nephew, and guess what, at only a few days old I've actually finished his birth quilt!!!! Okay, it still has to be quilted (and bound and labelled), but I'm happy to have reached this point:

I love the 'Skipping Boy' fabric which just oozes 'modern baby'! So that his quilt co-ordinates with Mum and Dad, I used a block of the same red toile, in the same spot as their quilt, and I'll add the black and white stripe binding, also a left over from their quilt.

Back to stitching,

Leanne Beasley xxx

P.S. Still having a LOT of trouble with the new Typepad and wasted a LOT of time trying to get it right. Apologies with photos until I can find some help! Where's a teenager when you need one?!

Some Days Bring a Miracle...

...and today was one of them. My divine and perfect little nephew arrived:

I got to meet him when he was just three hours old and this is what he looked like. The moment took my breath away and filled my heart all at the same time. At 10 pounds and 8 ounces he actually wasn't that little!

Of course, I haven't finished his quilt yet, it's still on the design wall! I did manage to whip up a 'skipping boy' cushion for his nursery though:

His quilt has the same 'skipping boy' fabric in it and will be finished soon! (His Mum is an interior designer so I chose carefully!)

Congratulations to Dean and Anna. Welcome to the world Alexander!

Leanne Beasley xxx

P.S. Sorry I don't have a link to the 'skipping boy' fabrics. Typepad seem to have had an update in the last few days and I just can't work out how to do a link anymore! They are available at 'Patchwork on Central Park' and I do have a link to them on my last blog entry if you scroll back. And I'm obviously having trouble with the entire photo thing!

Giveaway Winners and Where I've Been...

First, here are the five winners of a 'Two Brown Chickens' Pattern:

Can each of you please email me your snail mail address so I can ship your pattern out.

Yes, I should have drawn the winners on Friday, but, well, you see my friend Melinda and I had this little trip to Patchwork on Central Park on Thursday:

Photo: Me (yes, I've had all my long hair cut off - boo hoo), Lynn (the owner of Patchwork on Central Park), and Melinda. (Don't you just love all that divine 30's fabric!?!)

I needed just the right fabric for my latest project:

And, well, I starting cutting and pinning and I just couldn't stop:

I forgot all about that blog prize draw:

I just HAD to finish my vine:

My design wall isn't quite big enough to fit a queens size quilt (which is what this is) so I've just had to compromise here!

This quilt is a project that I'll be teaching at Almond Grove Crafts in South Australia. The girls come along for three entire days with their sewing machines and just good girly fun really! More about that another day.

Congratulations to the giveaway winners,

Leanne Beasley xxx

Two Brown Chickens Giveaway...

The new 'Two Brown Chickens' pattern is out today! (Of course my hubby was quick to point out that they are two brown chickens in Red Work!)LOL:

The pattern comes with an iron-on transfer for the framed stitchery as well as a 'light box' copy for tracing (maybe you'd just like to stitch the little house or maybe the chickens):

The pattern includes full instructions for both the framed stitchery and the cushion (before you ask, you need 1/2 meter for the cushion of the Moda 'Swell' big red rose on yellow if you want the same as the one here):

So, as always when I have a new pattern release, I will be giving away five copies of 'Two Brown Chickens'. Simply leave a comment on this post and I'll draw a winner on Friday the 16th May 2008:

If you can't wait Kerry Swain from 'The Cottage on the Hill' will have patterns, and even kits if you like, of 'Two Brown Chickens'. Visit Kerry via her blog, website www.cottageonthehill.com.au or phone her on 02 6769 3297.

I had an incredible amount of fun recently when I was at Kerry's retreat in Nundle (have a peek back at the last few posts if you missed all that fun) where the ladies worked on this project.

Like to see the originals that are in these photos? Drop into Foothills Fabric and Threads and visit Lesley and Sandra, that's where they are!

Until Friday,

Leanne Beasleyxxx

P.S. For all the ladies that have been trying to get in contact with Kim at Honeysuckle Cottage I spoke with her today and she assures me that her new email address is now up and running! So if you are waiting on something give her an email at: [email protected]. You can also call her on (02) 6723 7377.

P.P.S Thanks to Marg and Lou at GlenHarrow Gardens for letting me photograph their chickens for this post because there's only one brown chicken left in my backyard (thanks Mr. Fox)! 

Sunday in Nundle...

After the 'Girls' Day in the Country' on Saturday Rosie and I had a different kind of retreat - a trip to Kerry's shop:

What a magnificent place for a quilting shop:

Inside is a treasure trove:

See:

Full of lots of lovely samples:

Of course, I couldn't resist a bit of a shop myself (lucky there was a tiny bit of room left in the suitcase!):

And I wasn't the only one:

The views from the shop are just divine:

Hope you enjoyed the trip,

Leanne Beasley xxx

A Fantastic Time in Nundle!

Saturday saw me in Nundle, country New South Wales, teaching at a wonderful retreat (I know you will wish you were here):

Rosalie Quinlan and I went up to teach for Kerry Swain from 'The Cottage on the Hill' for her 'Girl's Day in the Country':

This stitchery below was my project for the day. Kerry had already ironed the iron-on transfer onto the fabric for the ladies and also backed it with Weaveline, so they could just sit and get stitching! I felt the framed stitchery just needed a cushion to go with it so I also included a pattern for this:

Rosie and I met lots of wonderful ladies including some Blogland friends. Here's me with Chookyblue and Jelly Wares:

Can I just say I was so happy to meet fellow stitcher/scrapbooker Janelle Wind. Janelle and I have admired each other's work for years and chatted via emails and even have the same distributor, but never seemed to get the opportunity to actually meet! So this weekend we just chatted and chatted!

In fact I chatted so much I lost my voice (I know this will not be a surprise to those of you who know me!). You can see some of the ladies here at the end of the day with their projects:

I will have more photos tommorow for you, so you can see just how much fun we had. Now I'll leave you with the view from the Jenkins Street Guest House where Kerry was kind enough to put Rosie and I up for the weekend. Just like the website claims, it was like "staying in a Country Road catalogue":

Now I really need to catch up on some sleep!

Leanne Beasley xxx