Le Tour de Fabric

What a huge day for fabric love....

A lovely bundle arrived from Quilt Fabric Delights.  I was a bit excited about their sale page and the fact that they still had a small piece of the Patty Young "Andalucia" print that I needed, so I put in a little order on the weekend.  (And yes - they stock my patterns, too!)

 Then there was a bit of a gathering of friends at Lara's house.  Annie, Jodie and Rachel came into town for the day and we went ON TOUR.... after the exploration of Lara's sewing room....

 ..and awestuck gazing at the VERY TIDY cupboards full of fabric stash.  (How DOES she manage it....??)

And there was a fair bit of posing against the famous wall....

 

We then went to Rathdowne Fabric & Remnants and then to GJ's.  I forgot to take the camera out in Rathdowne, but managed to snap a bit of Annie in action at GJ's.

 ...and pretty-much lost everyone amongst the rows and rows of luscious fabric....

 ...and rows of toys all over the floor.  (No idea who's wee girl that is....wearing a cat-print dress...)

 I'm not sure if it was noticable, but I loitered around the pre-cut fabric shelf a few times.  It looked a bit sweet-shoppish to me, and I was feeling a bit like a child..... but I resisted.  I have to finish my quilts-in-progress before embarking upon any new adventures in the world of patchwork.

 That small child in the cat dress took up position at the counter and talked "cats" with anyone who had a cat.  Luckily (for her), Jodie, Annie and Suzanne (behind the counter) all have cats.  As does the woman who was waiting patiently in the queue behind us.

 My purchases were quite restrained, and mostly geared towards turning my quilt blocks into quilts.  (I even managed to sew on the border of this one late this afternoon).

I also found enough spotty cotton fabric to make the back of the quilt.  (The idea was to make a cot quilt, but it's now a single bed size.)

 
The only completely-without-purpose purchasing I did were these pieces, below - a mixture from both stores.  They were too cute and too well-priced to pass up ($5.95-$8 per metre) and they'll go into the stash.

The only thing that I could have used but I DIDN'T buy, was the EXACT Patty Young fabric that I was looking for on the weekend.  Along with the QFD piece that arrived today,  I've organised Lisa to send me some from Sydney.  And here's a bolt of the stuff, in my local fabric store.....

Our shopping day ended with a short trip to my studio for lunch and a chat.   (I forgot to take out the camera again).  The kids all played beautifully together (Rachel's kids are ANGELS, I tell ya - ANGELS!)

Thanks, lovely ladies, for a grand day out.  I'm counting the days until we're sitting around the table together at Sewjourn again.

How things eventually come together

Around these parts, things rarely happen in a linear, organised fashion. It's all multi-tasking, juggling too many ideas and not enough time, dodging unforseens, managing minor crises and drawing wildcards... and no lists. Most people who see this in action wonder how anything gets done at all.
But they do. All it sometimes takes is a few hours in the studio on my own, with no interruptions. Weeks of half-started projects are completed, photographed and hung in the showroom. Gosh, sometimes they're even Photoshopped and blogged.

(This felted wool number is my Sling bag pattern, with a bit of a ruffly rose made from the off-cut selvedge. I also altered the strap to put a big shiny ring in it. Fabric was a bargain from GJ's).

And HOW LOVELY to see a completed nest of A-line skirt samples - sizes 8-18 (US size 6-16?). My only disappointment was that I made this panel feature on the size 18 instead of in my size.
This pattern is currently being tested by lots of lovely gals, and will hopefully be ready in time for the Quilt and Craft Fair in Melbourne.
My patchwork experiments have been put to use in a few bags and purses. I tried to blend the craftsy look with a bit of street-smart topstitched denim and a few sharp lines. My Day Bag pattern was a good 'blank canvas' to play on...And I made the Day Bag as a satchel, in soft and fuzzy woolly Rathdowne Remnants bargain fabric with more patchwork and a few (..ahem... strategically placed) bits of leather.

This 150mm Frame Purse (below) makes the pretence that what is revealed by the cut-away area is indeed worth featuring (??) but it was a little idea I've had in my head for a while, so it was good to get it out.
And sometimes, to finish off a good finishing session, I just have to start something else...I made this Chunky Purse with some machine-knitted "learning experience" pieces. There was an awful lot of chopping and stitching bits on, until it resembled a rose-ish sort of thing.

It took ages. I nearly gave up and binned it a few times... and then poof! It appeared! As if by magic. (I only wish I'd done it in a colour that's easier to photograph.)

After that, I needed a super-quick-fix, so whipped up a Party Purse in the same knitted fabric - this time using the reverse side (ok.. so I accidentally interfaced the right side of fabric...As the wee girl says after embarrassing interruptions, "Let's continue...").

I slapped on a few randomly cut bits of felted jumper (sweater) with a few rows of top-stitching. Voila! FINISHED PURSE! (...and might I say, finished in an organised, linear fashion..?)
School starts again tomorrow, so hopefully there will be less distractions and more coming-together-of-things.

Gosh, I might even be organised in time for the Quilt Fair ....Who'd a thunk it?

Note to all the people who ask me where to get the patterns, purse frames, interfacing or hardware featured in my blog posts:
Please click on the highlighted text. It takes forever to put all the links in for you - please use them. :)