Grandma's Love

My Grandma has a special place in my heart and her love still warms my heart every day. It's the small things like freshly backed sugar rolls, late night tea, a bunch of flowers, a dinner I am cooking that bring memories of her. Our pretend games we used to play together, our trips to the lake and the river near our summer holiday house, our laughs and our tears - it's all a part of who I am now. My brother and I used to spend almost every summer with our grandparents. Each spring our parents would pack us up ready for the summer adventures away from home and send us on a plane trip to a different city for the next three exciting months. It was always fun, and I have to say that we hardly missed our parents, but if our parents managed to take some time off work and come spend some summer days with us all, it always felt extra special.

Sip Tea and EPP: Being Productive

This week we are talking about being productive, and it can have different meanings to all of us. Some can sew an entire quilt in a week and call this being productive, while for others just a tiny simple make can feel like a great achievement as well. It all depends on our own personal situations, skills and needs. We should not compare our own abilities and the size and the number of creations that other can do, but rather be driven by what feels right for each of us personally. I am going to speak from my own experience as a maker of small things because this is what is important to me and this is what makes me feel good. I sew because I love it and I sew because it makes me feel great, I also love sharing what I learn along the way. Some days I can sew for a few hours, some just for a few minutes and there are days when I feel totally unproductive and stuck, and not able to sew anything at all for various reasons. I worked out that I have to MAKE TIME for just a few tiny stitches a day to help me feel better and get me back on track with sewing.

Sip Tea and EPP: Thread Conditioning

This week at out Sip Tea and EPP Party we are talking about thread conditioning. Before I go any further and share my experience, I would like to say that it is very important to do your own search, try things out and decide what works for you personally. We all use different techniques, threads, needles, fabrics, so it is extremely important not to simply follow others, but rather find what works best for you.

Sashiko Coasters

Last month I visited the Sydney Craft and Quilt fair for the first time ever and I truly enjoyed this experience. There were plenty of amazing quilts to admire and get inspired by, wonderful stands to browse and shop at and lovely people to talk to and ask for an advice.

As I was leaving the fair, I came across a stand Indigo Niche that was selling Sashiko supplies. I have always loved this Japanese embroidery technique and even gave it once a go that failed miserably as I was not prepared to follow any instructions or even read the basics of Sashiko at that time. A panel of six designs caught my eye, and I gently pushed closer to the stall so I could see what else was there. Women were buzzing around picking fabrics, printed panels, needles, threads...talking about beautiful items hanging on the wall. Even though I have been sewing and embroidering for a long time now, I felt completely lost and had no idea where to start, but I really wanted to give Sashiko another proper go.

English Paper Piecing Wedding Ring

Have you heard about the Sip Tea and EPP party me and Megan of Dolly Henry are having every Sunday on Instagram? It's a lot of fun and anyone who loves English Paper Piecing can join us using the #sipteaandepp hashtag. The idea is to share the EPP projects you are working on, encourage each other and share tips, tricks and interesting ideas.

Pink Quilting Bee 2018

What an adventure it has been! Last year I was lucky to be invited to join a group of wonderful girls to go on a year-long adventure - the Quilting Bee. I had no idea what it was and how it really worked, but after reading some history information behind it and some blogs, I thought that it was a wonderful opportunity to help all 11 girls make a quilt each and get help making my own pink quilt along the way. I am so grateful that the girls picked me for this project and let me use my stash for sewing for them.

Each months one of the Quilting Bees picked a particular block and sent us the instructions and colour preferences and then it was up to us to pick the fabrics from our own stashes, sew the block and send it to the Queen Bee. It was fun going through my stash each month and pulling the fabrics that I felt were right for each and every block. Even though I felt quite scared at the very start of this adventure, I am happy I joined the group and got to know the Instagram girls much better. So let me show you all the 12 beautiful blocks that I have made during 2018.

Tutorial: Lovely Postcard Coaster

Two years ago I made a set of Christmas coasters using my ever so favourite Belle and Boo fabric. I planned to use them only during the holiday season, but they turned out to be very popular, that I decided to keep them all year round. Every time the late night tea is served I tend to use only these coasters. They do bring joy and make us smile. I though it would be nice to spread the joy at this special time of the year so I wrote a quick tutorial for you to make your own Lovely Postcard Coasters.