Goodbye 2015... hello 2016!

A quick look back at 2015 and a bumper crop of quilts! This isn't even all of them as I have 3 more that I haven't/can't post about yet!

So it's been a very productive sewing year for me and now it's on to 2016 (blimey, already?!!) and I'm pretty sure that will involve lot's more sewing! Plus some crochet and knitting when I have the time :)

I hope you are all feeling as positive about the year ahead as I am (despite a rather large birthday looming in the summer!!) and a huge thank you, as always, for sharing this crafty journey with me! Mwah!!

Simply Moderne issue 2 and Improv Meadow WIP

I recently got my hands on issue 2 of Simply Moderne magazine, this is the new quarterly mag from the people behind Quiltmania. I wrote about issue 1 here.

As in the first issue, the mag is divided between articles about quilts and quilters and a number of0 projects. This issue has a large feature about the Australian Modern Quilt Show, with lots of beautiful photos of the quilts.

And an excellent article all about my lovely friend Lorena! I was so happy to see her smiling face and read all about her. There are articles about a few prominent Aussie Quilters and many photos of stunning quilts from the show.

Do you recognise this quilt? It was one of the standout exhibits at QuiltCon and a particluar favourite of mine, so I was very pleased to find a project for it here. Lovely styling too.

Love this wall pocket organiser!

And the cover quilt is just gorgeous!

They always have a large section of applique projects which I completely approve of. Love this quilt!

As soon as I saw this beautiful needle-turn applique I wanted to rush off and do some myself.

Which is a good job as I had some to add as finishing touches to my Improv Meadow quilt!

This is the quilt I started at Anna Maria Horner's amazing Mod Corsage workshop that I took at QuiltCon earlier in the year. I wrote about it in this earlier post. 

I have been working on it in odd moments, and am now racing to finish it in time to enter it for QuiltCon 2016.

It is quilted with a mixture of FMQ and hand quilting with perle cottons. I am just adding the hand quilting now. Here are some sneak peeks but look out for a big reveal in a week or two!

And don't forget to check out Simply Moderne if you want a really interesting read (still charmingly French sounding even though it is all in English!) and some fantastic projects!  More info and subscriptions available here.

Simply Moderne Review

Introducing a new magazine for Modern Quilt lovers!

Simply Moderne is brought to you by the same French publishers that produce Quiltmania, a magazine I had never heard of until the 'my small world QAL' hit Instagram a few months back!

In case you don't know what I am talking about Quiltmania magazine published a pattern by everyone's favourite quilt designer Jen Kingwell a few months back and there is a quilt-along being hosted by Kerry and others over on their blogs and Instagram. It's a truly beautiful pattern and I am loving seeing everyone's quilts take shape in my IG feed.

But back to Simply Moderne! The lovely people behind this mag kindly sent me a copy of issue 1 to review and I have been enjoying reading this and looking at the glorious photos.

The first thing I would say is that it is a very high quality publication, you can tell this by the weight of the paper stock and the wonderful photo reproduction.

There is a large piece all about QuiltCon with many photos of some of my favourite quilts from the exhibition, some I recognised and some amazing quilts I had obviously missed (and appreciated getting a second chance to see here!).

I really enjoyed reading the article about modern quilting by Meg Cox and a conversation piece by Heather Grant and Alissa Haight Carlton about the genesis of the QuiltCon event. There is also an article about Victoria Findlay Wolfe, again with stunning photos of her work and studio.

There are a number of articles about fabric stores in New York, Austin and France, all packed with beautiful photos.
And then it's on to the projects.
I just LOVE the way these are laid out! I think the way they have taken elements of the quilts to style the title page is so clever and original and totally adds to the aesthetic value of the magazine.
Above is a gorgeous quilt by Michelle Tucker of Sew Demented.

Below is such a sweet  wall hanging with the cutest felt applique, designed by Heather Gavin and David Greenway.

So pleased to see one of my favourite Aussie quilters Rachel of Blue Mountain Daisy on the front cover with her beautiful Bubbles quilt!

All my loyal readers know that I am a big fan of Dresden Plates and I really love the way Lissa Alexander has staggered the placements on this gorgeous Gardenvale quilt. In it's simplicity this reminds me of some of the old Mennonite quilts. And just look at that gorgeous title page - so inspiring!

The projects are divided into Piecing, Applique and a themed 'summer' section, where you will find this clever and fun 'Travel Bug' quilt designed by Barbara Cherniwchan of Coach House Designs.

The patterns are all on an attached fold-out sheet (something I definitely approve of) and the instructions all look clear enough, though I haven't tried anything out as yet.

Even though it has been very well translated into English the language still retains a French flavour which I find very charming! The magazine is quarterly and costs £11.99 in the UK and $17.99 in the USA. You can buy the magazine or take out a subscription here.

So all in all a big thumbs up from me and I look forward to the next edition!

2014 Review

Hello 2015!!
I hope you all had a good festive period and are now ready for the New Year!

Whilst I am keen to get on with 2015, I always find this is a good time of year to look back and review any achievements from the past year.

So I have been compiling a couple of mosaics. The top one is my finished quilts from last year. I am very pleased with 9!! I wouldn't have thought it was so many so it was a nice surprise to count them up!

This mosaic is a quick round-up of some other projects made last year.
Lots of them were for Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine, along with the odd commission, bloghop and swap.
Plus one cushion which was just made for me for the hell of it!
Something I'd like more time for in 2015!!

What about you - have you been looking back and planning forward at the same time??!!