Monday, November 19, 2012

Winners are grinners!

IMG_8998

I’m excited to announce the winners of my three Daisy a Day giveaway prizes, generously donated by JoNell of Quiltsmith (USA).

I’ve emailed all these lovely ladies asking for their addresses, but could Gillian please contact me (through the link at the left beneath my profile pic). Your email has bounced back, and I need your postal address for JoNell so she can send you your templates.

First Prize

Capture1

Brenda wins a set of ARDCO 12 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-12) plus a set of ARDCO 6 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-6)

* * * * *

Second Prize

Capture2

Carla wins a set of ARDCO 12 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-12)

* * * * *

Third Prize

Capture3

Gillian wins a set of ARDCO 6 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-6)

 

Thank you to everyone who entered, and thank you so much for all your beautiful comments on my quilt.

If you’ve been bitten by the hand-piecing bug don’t forget you can still get a 20% discount when you order your very own ARDCO templates from Quiltsmith between now and next Sunday (25th November) with the code JIS78

* There is no actual box for entering that discount code at the checkout, but if you simply type it beside your name this will identify you to JoNell as one of my readers, and worthy of special treatment (ie 20% off).


* International shipping, she says, is either at the same price quoted on the website for US shipping, or very little more. After all, these templates don’t weigh much at all.


* Finally, if you have any questions at all you can email JoNell (who is a really lovely person to deal with) at rquilt@rcn.com

Thank you so much, JoNell!

I’m already dreaming of my next hand pieced quilt project using these great metal non-skid window templates. Now, which shape should I choose…..?

Red rose Di

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Does this make me a geek?

… Or just a hopelessly addicted quilter?

Did you ever love a quilt (or quilts in general) so much you wanted to carry its picture around with you? {Or is this just me?}

IMG_0214

When I discovered Catherine Savage’s Quilt My Phone website I came over all goose-bumpy! Not only could I order a case for my DiPhone with an image of a vintage quilt such as the Jane A Stickle Quilt, or many others from museums, but I could order a custom-printed case from a photo of one of my very own creations.

So I did! From this quilt, of course Be right back.

If you’d like to order some neat customised Christmas gifts this year then pop on over to Quilt My Phone.

Better still, sign up to be notified by email of special offers which come along with delightful regularity (thank you very much!).

*** This is not a sponsored blog post, just a recommendation from a very happy customer! ***

* * *

Don’t forget to leave a comment on this blog post to be in the running to win one of three ARDCO template sets to make your own version of this quilt. The giveaway runs till midnight Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time this Sunday 18th November.

Just a little reminder that I can’t enter you in the giveaway unless I have your email. You can either check your settings to make sure that you’re not a “no reply” blogger, and change it if necessary, or simply include your email at the end of your comment.

The following readers are “no reply” bloggers who have left a comment on the giveaway post. Please contact me at - dianne dot jobbins at bigpond dot com to let me know your email.

Cathy (your email is bouncing) – ozzypip – Julee – Maureen – and Denise.

Red rose Di

Monday, November 12, 2012

Daisy a Day is done, and I’m celebrating with a GIVEAWAY!!!

Call it what you will – Daisy a Day, Joseph’s Coat, Tea Leaves, Lafayette Orange Peel or Lover’s Knot - I really, REALLY love this quilt, which is just as well because I’ve spent more than 18 months piecing and quilting it entirely by hand.
IMG_9002
Months ago I promised you a look at the three queen sized quilts I finally finished in July. You’ve seen my Whirligig Quilt, then Ben’s and Sunny’s Wedding Quilt, and now (drumroll……..) here’s my favourite, Daisy a Day.
You can read here how some of my friends and I came to be making this quilt. Robbie’s version became a cot quilt, Jill’s is an elegant runner across the foot of her bed, and Gail is currently on the home stretch, hand quilting her QS version made from delicate Liberty fabrics.
IMG_8993
I love scrappy quilts, the more fabrics the better, so choosing colours for my petals was a snap. I simply dived into my humungous scrap pile(s) and chose the prettiest and happiest pieces I could find. Then I teamed them together with white-on-white polka dot filler shapes to make them “pop”.
IMG_8998
Ardco metal templates (the 12 inch size) made cutting the shapes easy, though getting all six petals to meet nicely at the centre of each circle, with no gaps, proved a tad challenging at times. I’m glad I didn’t let it stress me too much because looking at the finished quilt I think you’d need a search party to find those wonky joins now.
IMG_8996-001
A wise friend advised me to machine quilt this monster. After all, I do lead a busy life. But after seeing Robbie’s cot-sized version, meticulously hand-quilted and cuddly, I threw caution to the winds and decided to hand quilt mine too.
I feared my wise counselor might think I’d lost my marbles and many would agree, so I kept this a secret!
IMG_9001
On Easter Saturday this year I spent the afternoon crawling around on my hands and knees on my bedroom floor, sandwiching and pinning the quilt to within an inch of its life.
Why pin, and not baste, as is more usual for hand quilting? Aha, I had a cunning plan Smile
Placing a safety pin in every white space across the quilt, and counting them in as I pinned, meant I could easily keep track of my progress. By counting the pins out as I quilted each of these negative spaces I didn’t accidentally miss a space, and I marked them off on a card, one by one. 
IMG_9684
It was very simple to remove any pins that got in the way of my quilting hoop as I went.
I was surprised and delighted to find that the whole quilt only took me 5 weeks to quilt. I guess quilting for a couple of hours each night in front of the TV, as well as whenever I attended one of my quilting groups, added up quickly.
IMG_9025
The binding colour was a no-brainer! There are so many gorgeous colours in this quilt, but somehow the bright pinks called to me the loudest Smile. No surprises there.
IMG_9026
If this block design is making your heart go pitty-pat, then I think you’ll want to enter my GIVEAWAY to win one of three prizes generously donated by JoNell at QUILTSMITH Ltd (the business in Virginia, USA, not the shop by the same name in Sydney, Australia).
To be in the running, just pop over to the Ardco Templates by Quiltsmith website and look through all the wonderful sizes and shapes available for your piecing pleasure. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me your favourite Ardco template shape.
That’s it. No other hoops to jump through (I don’t like them myself), though you’ll make me a very happy blogger if you choose to become a Follower, and I’ll be grinning from ear to ear if you tell your friends about my giveaway on Facebook and Twitter.
*** Please make sure I can contact you by email. I’m afraid I can’t count you in the giveaway if you’re a “No reply” blogger ‘cos I have no way of letting you know when you win!
I’ll close comments at midnight Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time on Sunday 18th November, and I’ll draw three winners soon after.
* * *
First Prize is a set of 12 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-12) plus a set of 6 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-6).
Second Prize is a set of 12 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-12).
Third Prize is a set of 6 inch Tea Leaves templates (TLW-6)
* * *
You’re going to love ARDCO templates!
First of all, they’re metal. Nice and strong, and accurate. Unlike perspex templates, the edges aren’t going to chip or corners break off.
You can get the tip of a mechanical pencil right into those corner slits (and if you can’t, all you need is a teensy rub with the finest grade sandpaper to widen the slits just a smidge).
IMG_0212
See the rough, grainy surface on the underside of the template?
IMG_0209
(This one’s well-worn after tracing all my Daisy a Day pieces!)
When you position this baby on your fabric ready for tracing it’s not going anywhere. Honestly, it grips and makes tracing a breeze, especially if you use a sandpaper board underneath your fabric. No skidding! Smile
Being “window” templates, too, it’s easy to position them so you can fussy cut your fabrics.
Finally, once you’ve traced along both the inside and outside edges of the template you’ll have a nice stitching line, perfect for hand-piecing!
* * *
But wait, there’s more Winking smile
JoNell is offering all my readers a discount of 10% 20% off any templates on the website for 2 weeks (up until Sunday 25th November). Simply enter the discount code JIS78 when you enter your name at the checkout. What are you waiting for?
Just added:
* There is no actual box for entering that discount code at the checkout, but if you simply type it beside your name this will identify you to JoNell as one of my readers, and worthy of special treatment (ie 20% off).
* International shipping, she says, is either at the same price quoted on the website for US shipping, or very little more. After all, these templates don’t weigh much at all.
* Finally, if you have any questions at all you can email JoNell (who is a really lovely person to deal with) at rquilt@rcn.com

IMG_8995
Stats:
88 in x 96 in (approx)
Daisy petals - Kaffe Fassett brights, along with other bright, modern scraps.
Background fabric - White tone-on-tone spot from the Polka Party III range by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse Drygoods
Warm & White Cotton batting.
Pieced and quilted by hand using Aurifil 40 weight thread in white (2024).
Red rose Di

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Weathering the storm – and announcing a GIVEAWAY coming up!

Weather-wise today was a strange one, at times frightening and confusing. The morning was warm and sunny, the kind of day you just want to get out there and enjoy, and I had plans to take Chester for a romp as soon as I’d completed the morning’s jobs.

Sunny Sydney Harbour

Until 1.30pm. Suddenly, within half an hour, everything changed.

art-thunderstorm-620x349

Photo from the SMH by Nick Moir

The sun disappeared behind storm clouds that seemed to have come from nowhere. Thunderclaps shook the house, lightning lit up the street and gutters overflowed with water during a brief but mighty deluge. The roar was deafening and my Facebook was abuzz with friends publishing photos of snow-like scenes as hailstones fell across Sydney.

Then, just as unexpectedly, even while the rain was still bucketing down, the sun broke through.

Sunshine once again bathed the city, though the damaging effects of the storm still remained late into the afternoon– slippery roads, fallen trees, power outages, drains blocked. Down in St Mark’s Memorial Garden the ground was soggy, the last of the spring flowers were looking a little bowed and bedraggled, and the jacaranda had lost a little more of its canopy.

IMG_1779

I’d gone there to photograph the jacaranda tree and its purple carpet, and along with the spectacular sight of the sun-kissed canopy I found a measure of peace and calm after the storm.

JacarandaSydney

Hmmm … a bit like my life right now. I might feel broken, yet there is still beauty in my life –  my family, my friends and a great God who cares for me.

* * * * *

So let me share some happiness by announcing a special blog post coming up next Monday. If you’re a regular reader of my blog and can count to three, you’ll no doubt be wondering when I’m going to reveal the third of my quilt finishes for July.

Well, here it comes – finally!

To celebrate my quilt’s completion, as well as the fact that I’ve managed to chalk up just over 900 posts, I’ll be having a GIVEAWAY, as well as a SPECIAL OFFER for everyone who would like to make their own version of my quilt.

So please pop back here on Monday, and tell your friends too!

Di  Red rose

Monday, November 5, 2012

Quilting Sisters

I've got to hand it to my English Quilt Group buddies. Not only are they clever, deft with a needle and thread, and expert at combining fabrics and patterns to create the most beautiful quilts, but they're loyal and loving friends - and experts at subterfuge!

This week, when I least expected it, they presented me with a beautiful quilt, and just when i thought i couldn't cry any more the tears flowed again - but in a good way.

More than 2 months have passed, much of it in a daze, since Boak left us. I still grapple with the reality that I'll never wake up to him bringing me breakfast in bed, Chester the Wonder Lab padding along behind him. Chester still wakes me with a kiss, but he's not much of a coffee maker!

Nevertheless I'm finding small joys in life every single day, and feeling blessed in so many ways.

I've treasured the time I've spent with my girlfriends in the English Quilt group, and I'm astounded that they managed to pour so much time, talent and love into these blocks without me even suspecting something special was afoot.

Even the backing lifts my spirits, and is so appropriate given that it's springtime here.

Overwhelmed as I was that they would make me such a gift of love, the very best part of all was the label. Now you know why I cried happy tears.

Di 🌺