A Sneak Peek for Nundle...

This year will once again see me on many exciting trips! My first teaching trip takes me to Nundle, New South Wales, Australia. In Nundle, in March, Rosie and I will be participating in the annual 'Girl's Day Out' that Kerry holds. We had a ball last year and are really excited to be invited back for this year's event. Here's a few little sneak peeks of my project:

This project has lots of my favourite techniques including applique and stitchery:

So this project is one for the girls!

Last year was so much fun and Kerry is just so organised everything runs as smooth as silk thread! There will be much fun to be had.

For information you can contact Kerry at her lovely shop, Cottage on The Hill. She's in Nundle and can be reached on [email protected] . You can also have a look at her blog Kerry Swain's Cottage here.

Leanne Beasley xxx

Living On The Mountain...

Haven't blogged as much as I'd have liked to recently, all because of the dreaded fires. Lots of you know I live right in the middle of the forest but I thought I'd show you where. This is the road between my home and Rosie's home (you can still see some of the black trees from the fires we had in 1997!):

 

And my home and Gail's home:

 

And the view from my front door this afternoon:

 

We had a real scare on Sunday afternoon when there were fires in Tecoma (where Foothills Fabric and Threads are) and Belgrave, and they were put on an 'Urgent Threat' alert. We were put on Ember Alert and had to decide if we stayed or left. The car was packed (yes, Betty Bernina was one of the first in the car) and we were very nervous. It was some hours before we settled.

So things are very nerve racking on the mountain at this time. The Black Saturday fires are still burning (some distance from us) and both devastating and miraculous stories are still coming out.

I heard a lady by the name of Jenny on the radio today who had lost everything. She mentioned that she was a quilter and had lost her entire stash including all her tools and books. Yes, that made me cry.

A huge thankyou to all the wonderful ladies out there who have organised and also donated  lots of fabric related things for those who have lost so much. I know many of you are organising great things and feel free to leave an 'advertsing' comment for anything you might like to spread the word about on this blog right now!

Leanne Beasley xxx

We Can All Help...

Firstly, let me say 'thanks' to all of you who have contacted me to see if I am okay. Yes, I am. This time Ferny Creek managed to escape the wrath of the bushfires but so many other areas have not been this fortunate. The devastation and loss is horrific.

Many of you have asked what you can do to help with the devasting Victorian Bushfires. We all want to help and feel urgent about doing so.

If you want to help in some way you may like to contact The Red Cross via their website or by phoning 1800 727 077 (in Australia) to donate money. For those of you that have suggested donating goods The Red Cross are currently asking that we don't donate goods as it often costs more to collect and distribute the goods rather than purchasing the goods themselves. The Red Cross also reminds us that by them purchasing the goods from local businesses they are helping to economically rebuild towns.

The Red Cross are also calling for people to give blood. This is a very practical way you can help. By calling 13 14 95 you can arrange an appointment to do this. You could save a life.

Remember that the fires are still burning and this is not over yet. Even when the fires are over the scars will remain on the landscape for a very long time. As I drove back up the mountain after seeing Gail and Rosie this morning I noticed that many of the trees are still black from the fires we had here more than ten years ago.

The scars on peoples hearts from the loss of their homes, property, family, friends, pets, businesses, may never be healed. They will, I assure you, remember the kindness, large and small,  of all the people, known and anonymous, who reach out to help them in their time of incredible need.

Leanne Beasley xxx

Sarah's Pincushions...

One of my favourite projects last year was designing and working on a set of pin cushions for the Quilt Fabric Delights Pincushion of the Month Club:

Those of you in the club will have received my pattern by now. I know that a few of the club members are fairly novice sewers so I thought I'd show you a few close up shots to help you. If you're a novice, or there's a new technique in the pattern, it's always nice to see a photo as well as using the pattern as a guide. For many of you adding a Ric Rac trim might be a little tricky:

So here's a few hints and tips for the pin cushions that have that Ric Rac trim:

1. Cut your Ric Rac with a bit of overhang, like in the below photo.

2. Place your Ric Rac (and pin if you like) just as described in the pattern, and as in the photo below. You want most of the width of Ric Rac facing into the centre of the pin cushion.

3. Sew it on using only an 1/8th of an inch seam allowance. This is so that when you sew the front and back of the pin cushion together using a 1/4 of an inch seam allowance you won't see this seam!

4. Sew right to the overhang exactly as shown here:

5. Trim the overhang off now, just like in this photo:

I really hope that those of you in the Pin Cushion of the Month Club really enjoy stitching my pattern. I had a lot of fun creating it!

And Remember: Happy is she who spends her time stitching!

Leanne Beasley xxx

 

P.S. Sarah has set up a Flickr group for everyone in the Pin Cushion of the Month Club to share their photos, have a look at her blog entry on the 22nd of January 2009 for more information.