Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

Note: Comments now closed at 184 - winner announced shortly.

Hi and welcome if you are visiting my blog for the first time! 

Sew Mama Sew is holding their bi-annual giveaway again and this time around I have a FQ bundle of some Prints Charming fabrics.

 Prints Charming are an Aussie based team and I just love their bright and colourful designs! 

I am more than happy to post internationally too, so please leave a comment below. If you like, let me know who your favourite designer is. I really like Denyse Schmidt - here are a few things I have made from her lovely fabrics!

1. AMB AMH Chicopee feathers quilt, 2. Denyse Schmidt Plus (D+) quilt, 3. DS String star, 4. Denyse Schmidt Tripalong quilt, 5. Amy Butler Weekender Bag, 6. Daisy Mae Swoon, 7. SSM large item done!, 8. Kitchen mixer mini quilt - 9.5 x 10", 9. Swoon scraps pillow

• This competition closes at 5pm on Friday December 12 2014 PST which I think according to the time converter is 12pm Saturday 13th December 2014 here in Australia AEST. 
• The winner will be drawn randomly later on December 13th and contacted via email so if you think you may be a "no-reply" blogger then please leave an email address in your comment so that I can get in touch with you.
• And I usually try to reply to comments but it gets a bit crazy with the Giveaway Days so I may not get back to everyone, but please know that I read and appreciate all of your comments. Good luck!!

Kirsten.

"Chicopee" Weekender bag

I went away last weekend and got to use my Amy Butler Weekender Travel bag for the first time! I actually finished this bag a little while ago but just realised I hadn't blogged about it all.

The bag was made mainly from my Chicopee scraps leftover from my feathers quilt -  I even used the off cuts from the back of the quilt for the zip panel.

I made a smaller feather from the Anna Maria Horner pattern for the front pocket and used one of the fabulous panels from Cat and Vee for the other side

I made these small plus blocks to use as the pockets for my Weekender Bag, using the measurements by Rachael (Wooden Spoon) on flickr.

The only modification I made to the Weekender bag was to make the straps longer so they were about 60" (which was the WOF of the denim) rather than the 48" in the pattern. This was my first time making piping and it wasn't nearly as tricky as I thought it would be...

But I did manage to go use up a whole pack of denim needles sewing up this bag as there are quite a few layers to get through!

As well as the Weekender bag support group on flickr, there are plenty of great tips in the Weekender sew-along hosted by Love by Hand,  Modern Handcraft  and Chrissy at Sew Lux (who BTW made the fabulous version Camille had on her trip out here to Australia recently).

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday @ Quiltstory.
And this project was also on my Q4 FAL list with the Finish - along hosted by Katy @ The Littlest Thistle.
Kirsten.

"Leo" Super tote

Ok, so we are in December now and I have only just finished my mum's birthday bag using the fabulous Super Tote pattern by Anna @ Noodlehead.

Her starsign is "Leo" so that is an indication of how late this birthday present is!!!

But I so wanted to use some Cotton and Steel "August" prints for her bag and had to wait until my order for these beautiful fabrics came in.

I used the Hide & Seek in Green for the pocket along with the Diamondback in Teal for the front of the tote.

And teamed the August "Lion"  with some Cloud 9 organic Koi waves smiles in plum for the back and the recessed zipper panels.

This bag is quite deep so I lined the bag with a natural seeded cotton homespun so it is easier to see down to the bottom of it.

Hoping she enjoys using this belated birthday pressie! 

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday @ Quiltstory.

And this project was also on my Q4 FAL list with the Finish - along hosted by Katy @ The Littlest Thistle.
Kirsten.

IGmini swap: "Dwell" mini

I haven't participated in many swaps this year, but recently signed up for the #igminiswap which has been run on Instagram.

For my secret partner, I decided to make a "Dwell" mini quilt using the pattern by Thimbleblossoms. 

I used fabrics from a few different Bonnie and Camille ranges: Miss Kate, Marmalade, Scrumptious, April Showers, and Happy Go Lucky. 

And they all feature the Sundae Scallop print for the roof which gives them a "tiled" look .

Each little house measures 3 x 4"  and I made the border a little wider than in the original pattern to bring the mini up to size. 

I quilted this mini in straight lines on the diagonal and bound it in an aqua solid which matches in well with the B&C fabrics.

This week I mailed the mini off to my partner, along with some little extras - it has a long way to travel so hoping it gets there quickly.

 This is the inspiration mosaic I originally posted to the group that I am in (curlysgroup).

This mini was on Q4 FAL list at the 2104 Finish-along hosted by Katy @ The Littlest Thistle.
Kirsten.

Sunday Stash - Umbrella Prints

Umbrella Prints are one of my favourite fabric designers so when they had a sale on recently I couldn't resist purchasing a few of their bundles.

I bought some of the mixed bundles - just love the cute elephant print! 

Not sure what I am going to make with these fabrics yet though... 

The pink frangipanis from our garden look so pretty with the hearts in Cherry Blossom print.

Linking up with the Sunday Stash at Molli Sparkles.

Kirsten.

"Outlander" Nova Tote

One of my favourite book series is "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. I didn't study much history at school as I was a bit of a science nerd so I enjoy reading historical novels - even ones with time travel through the stones:) I first discovered this series over 16 years ago and now "Outlander" has finally been made into a TV series - which was amazing BTW!  The costuming in particular is just stunning, as is the Scottish scenery.

Back then I discovered that a few hours from where I live, there is a place called Glen Innes which is home to the Australian Standing Stone monument like the ones in the books. 

The series begins with "Outlander" (which was also released as "Cross Stitch" over here) and the main storyline is based around Scottish Highlanders in the 18th century, particularly Clan Fraser. 

Anyway, back to the tote bag....when I saw this gorgeous Tula Pink Moonshine "Deer Me" fabric, I couldn't help thinking of the Frasers of Lovat crest which has a deers head and I really wanted to use it as the feature fabric in the new "Nova Tote" pattern by Three Owls Handmade.

I paired the deer with some Anna Maria Horners' Mary Thistle in Seaweed from her "Pretty Potent" range to continue the Scottish theme...

On the inside I used another piece of the "Deer Me" print for a  slip pocket, and some Cloud 9 Dragonfly fabric for an additional gathered pocket as the second book in the series is titled "Dragonfly In Amber". Even the lining has some significance as the grey print resembles the surface of the "Standing stones".

I used my favourite black denim for the main part of the bag, and a bright lime solid for the binding as it went so well with both of the prints.

So now I have a very special bag to carry all my books around in:)   And if you get a chance to see the TV series or read the books, I thoroughly recommend them! The TV series is now on hold until April next year so I am currently re-reading all of the books for about the 4th time.

Linking up with the 2014 Purse Palooza hosted by Sara at Sew Sweetness,
And also with Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story.
And this project was also on my Q4 FAL list hosted by Katy @ The LIttlest Thistle.
Kirsten.

Poolside tote gone Beachside

It has been quite warm here the past few weeks so with a few days off work, I thought I should jump in and make the "Poolside Tote" which is another wonderful pattern by Anna @ Noodlehead designs.

So a quick trip to the beach was in order to see how it held up.

This is quite a large bag which is just perfect for a day out at the beach or the pool as you can fit quite a lot into it.

I used some Coral canvas for the outside which is nice and sturdy. 

 And a Lisette icy-pole/popsicle print for the lining - very sweet and summery!

Linking up with Purse Palooza 2014 hosted by Sara @ Sew Sweetness.
And also with Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story.
This bag was also on my Q4 FAL list hosted by Katy @ The Littlest Thistle.
Kirsten.