I’m squeezing in another blog post before the end of the year because I still have another sneak peek to show you of an upcoming pattern and it has been sitting patiently waiting to be revealed. This post was supposed to be published a week ago but there has been so much stress here this past month with horrendous heat and catastrophic bushfire conditions around Australia I have been busy settling kids and trying to keep tabs on Peter’s family who ALL live in the path of the uncontrolled fires burning in the Adelaide Hills. So many homes have been lost and so many people are under constant threat of evacuation. As a result I haven’t even walked into my sewing room to start or finish any of the jobs I set myself. The mood in Australia right now is one of stress, I cant really explain it. All over the country I have friends in the path of these fires so I feel like I am spending my entire time holding my breath. How lucky I am that social media exists so I can keep tabs on them quickly.
So today is the day. I am sitting down to get some work done before we head out as a family to ring in the New Year and say prayers for safety and relief in 2020 for those affected.
A couple of weeks ago I posted about one of my upcoming patterns releasing in January and promised there would be one more before the end of the year. This will also release at the end of January and is a new take on an old pattern of mine. I only have the quilt top to show which is unusual for me but I am debating whether or not to add sashing around the outside and update the pattern accordingly with this option. I will stare at it for a few more days until I make the decision.
But first lets talk about my favourite part – fabric!!! I feel instantly in love with Gingham Farm by My Minds Eye Inc for Riley Blake Designs when I saw it. Like butterflies in the tummy love. I instantly knew I needed to work with it and create some pieces for my bedroom which is predominantly charcoal and light grey. I have been looking for the perfect range to work with in there and you guys I found it! This range is perfection from the stunning prints on offer and also the colors available. I was so excited waiting for it to arrive.
I decided almost immediately that this was the range I was going to use to update and refresh one of my popular older patterns Kaleidoscope. I love the simplicity of the original pattern and it has been really popular but I decided a few months ago I wanted to update it to show an option that didn’t include solids and offer more sizes other than throw (60″ x 60″). Once I had the fabric in my hands I knew I wanted to get even more fancy and include options for the centre square as well as instructions to add sashing. Gingham Farm works perfectly for the design as you can easily play with light and dark prints to create a beautiful impact quilt.
Look at all those gorgeous prints! Ive always been in love with ticking stripe but I am sensing there is about to be an all new obsession with plaid as well. A whole fat quarter bundle of the range gave me the throw size quilt with just enough left over to make a coordination cushion. I have some yardage as well which I will use for pillowcases, sashing (if I go there) and binding. I cant wait to get it done and share pics properly in the New Year.
How beautiful is that botanical print of the centre square. I knew immediately I wanted to make it a genuine feature of the quilt, hence the use of a star. Initially I was only going to resize kaleidoscope to offer more options but the fabric grew the pattern to be something more and I am so excited to re-release it now.
When I made the quilt top I wasn’t strategic with placing prints. I wanted a less structured make to show off the versatility of the pattern and have a subtle idea of light and dark. You can easily change that idea when you make your own and I think I will include a colouring sheet with this one to make it easier too. As always it will be beginner friendly and a quick sew, no way I am intending to change how I roll in 2020.
See – plaid!!
One thing about this horrifying heat is my rose bush is exceptionally happy. I am the WORST gardener in the world so this is huge for me lol. Peter cut down the bush earlier this year as it was out of control and pulling down our fence. I was devastated as I loved looking out my kitchen window and seeing it. But from the stump it grew again and now I am guarding it from him like crazy and have promised to keep it under better control this time around. How perfect it was for this quilt!
So there we have it – a new pattern and an updated one coming early next year. I cant wait to get them out to testers in the New Year. I had planned to get more business planning stuff done before January hit but the heat and stress has put paid to that so later this week I will sit and get that part of the business sorted. I have made some plans though already which I will share now:
If you follow me on social media you will know I tackled the big clean up of my sewing room before Christmas. I love having my room clean and organised so I can just walk in and sew but it had got away from me in the past month. It has been restored to its former glory now but the reality is I have too much fabric. So my aim this year is to halve that stash. Each month I will pick a different section (I’m starting with scraps) and make as much as I can from them, sharing tutorials and patterns I find along the way. I am excited at the thought of being creative with what I have. My resolve to not purchase much fabric is being sorely tested though already hahaha. Excuse Charlie in the picture too – it was a 43 degree day (109.4F) and that is the coolest part of the house to be apparently. I would love you to follow along with me and join in where you can over the year – just use the hashtag #operationstash so I can find you.
I decided to teach myself a new skill this year too and settled on Foundation Paper Piecing – I am so nervous!! I leapt right off the deep end and joined the 2020 Quiet Play Pattern Club and while I am not confident I will be all that good at it the end quilt is just too good not to attempt. I will keep you posted how I go throughout the year.
Following the success of my Lemon Squeezy pattern I have decided to run my first proper quilt along in February. I am in the process of sorting prizes and sponsors so will let you know as soon as it is ready. I cant wait to see the beautiful quilts everyone creates.
On top of these three things I am also working on converting my PDF patterns to paper, have multiple patterns and tutorials planned, a few cool teaching moments I cant wait to share and some other fun secret things that I will reveal as the year progresses too. 2020 is shaping up to be a whole lot of fun!
Happy New Year everyone – may you all be safe, surrounded by love and constantly inspired.
Sarah x
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