Lovely Photos of Completed Netherfield

I love receiving emails from my students including photographs of the quilts completed after classes have ended.

I taught Michelle a couple of times at Carolyn's Quilting Room in Wodonga and each time she surprised me with her amazingly different colour choices.  When she held the centre of her "Netherfield" up to show me it took me a few seconds to recognise that it was even my quilt design!

Here is her finished version which she calls "Stained Glass Netherfield".  It looks stunning with the black background and those bright gorgeous colours.

Congratulations, Michelle and thanks for sharing your photos with us.

Christmas Holiday Sewing

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas period with family and friends, enjoying great company and having a good laugh!

I also hope you are having some time out from cooking and organising presents to do some stitching!

I always knew going to work slowed down my sewing progress, but it is amazing how much you can get done in a few days off!  This time of year is actually when I get a lot of my planning and designing organised for the coming year (and the year after that!)

These holidays I have been able to complete two major Block of the Month quilts.  These are my own design and will be marketed through various shops and online next year - more on that later!

I have also been an appliqué machine trying to complete sixteen large hand appliqué blocks required to finish my next Jane Austen quilt  "Meryton".  This is my Show Quilt for Darling Harbour in June 2014 so I need to get a move on.

I have also just completed a large medallion quilt inspired by antique Dutch quilt designs.  I have used over seventy different fabrics to give it a 'tapestry' look.

I am now planning another medallion using some toile fabric and I have three quilts to write up for class notes.  Lots to do... I hope you have a safe and happy New Year's Eve.

Extra Spaces Available for the Jane Austen Finishing School

I have a couple of vacancies available for the Jane Austen Finishing School in January 2014 at Pioneer Patchwork at Narellan.

These classes are open to ladies who have been making quilts from my Jane Austen Quilt Collection during the year and now also for ladies wishing to start one of my older quilt designs including "Florentine" and "Spikes and Specks" or wishing to finish some UFOs.

The dates that are available are Thursday, 16th January and Thursday, 23rd January, 2014.

Should you wish to join me for some sewing therapy in the New Year, please phone the shop to book in on 4647 3555.

2014 Teaching Schedule

I will be undertaking more teaching in 2014 at various locations including some new shops (or new to me):

Carolyn's Quilting Room, Wodonga

Hobbysew, Kings Park

Jukejema Quilting Bran, Nowra

Kim Bradley Creations, Castle Hill

Lyn's Fine Needlework, Baulkham Hills

Patchwork Plus, Miranda

Pioneer Patchwork, Narellan

I will also be teaching for various groups including The Illawarra Quilters Inc and the Quilters' Guild of South Australia.

I have updated my teaching schedule on the tab at the top of my blog page, so please consult this list for further details and contact information for the various shops.

I am looking forward to having some time to sew over the holiday period and will be ready to meet lots of new ladies in the New Year.

Wherever you are, I hope you too have a restful break with your family and enjoy some stitching time.

Regards from Katrina x

Another Trip to Carolyn's Quilting Room in Wodonga

I am very pleased to have been invited to return to Carolyn's Quilting Room in Wodonga to teach in February next year.

I will be teaching two separate two day workshops.

The first, on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February, 2014 will be to teach my new "Hunsford" quilt, fifth in the Jane Austen Quilt Collection.  This quilt features lots of English paper piecing and applique.

Here are some photos of the quilt.

Next, I will be teaching a choice of two quilts: either "Spikes and Specks" or "Bunbury" on Sunday, 23rd and Monday, 24th February, 2014.

Both of these quilts feature paper foundation piecing techniques and machine applique.  Students will learn many tips to accomplish perfect points on compass blocks and achieve beautiful applique by machine.

Here is "Spikes"...

And here is "Bunbury"...

I hope you will be able to join me for some sewing therapy and lots of fun at Carolyn's beautiful shop in February.

Please contact the shop directly to book in: the phone number is 6059 1702 or email carolyn@carolynkonigdesigns.com.

Lovely Class Work

Even though classes are drawing to a close for the year, I still have ladies finishing off their projects.

Here is Kay's beautiful "Jane" cushion.  My original was published in Homespun magazine early in the year.

Kay has done a fabulous job with her applique and her lovely clamshell border with alternating gold motifs and then blue clams behind them.

Then here is Robin again with a completed "Netherfield" made in the Park Avenue range by Moda.  This range of fabric featured some gorgeous prints in deep chocolates, blues, tans, creams and reds.  I don't think anyone does red better than Moda.

Robin's quilt is really spectacular.  I love it.  Makes we want to immediately design another framed medallion quilt... I wonder if I can fit that into my holiday sewing schedule?

Here is a close up of one corner showing the beautiful border print from the range.  Wow!  I love it.

Here is the centre of Robin's quilt:

Next, here is Chris' glorious "Pemberley" in soft, pretty colours.  Chris has now completed all four of the Jane Austen Quilt Collection quilts I have taught: Pemberley, Netherfield, Longbourne and Rosings.  Chris has made each one in a totally different colour scheme.  She is very good with choosing colours and selecting motifs to fussy cut and she makes them very quickly and quilts them all herself.  Well done, Chris.

We had some excitement in the classroom as lovely Julie completed her first large quilt.  It is her version of my whack and stack "Rococo" design.  Julie's looks wonderful with those interesting star blocks and wow factor bright pink zig zag setting.  Hooray! Snaps for Julie!!!

At my Jane Austen quilt day, here is Margaret's very gorgeous "Longbourne" centre in rich colours with some very lovely fussy cuts.

Here are some pretty half dresden flowers made by Kylie.  I love the sweet birds.

Here is Lynne's "Pemberley" centre which she says has been a long time coming... but it was worth it.

Well done, everyone.  I am lucky to have such clever students!

Announcing the Appleyard Cottage Aurifil Thread Club!

I have an exciting announcement to make!

My dear friend, Veronica Appleyard, is starting an online business to sell patchwork kits and associated products. Watch this space for details of the upcoming launch of her new website!

In the meantime, she has allowed me to announce the commencement of her brand new Aurifil Thread Club called "Appliqué Favourites".

In consultation with myself, Veronica has chosen seventy-two of the most gorgeous colours from the Aurifil Cotton Mako 50 weight range of threads.  Each spool contains 200 metres of this fine thread from Italy. The threads are very beautiful to use for all your hand sewing, including hand appliqué and English paper piecing as well as machine appliqué for a fine and lovely buttonhole stitch.

There are many colours to match your reproduction range of fabrics as well as lots of neutrals and blenders and some brighter colours as well.  They would work with earthy tones, batiks and softer colour ranges also.  

I am so delighted with my new box of threads! Here I am, ready to start using them on my latest Jane Austen Collection quilt.

You can register for the Thread Club by phoning Veronica on her home number on 02 9603 4671 or email her on veronica@appleyardcottage.com.au. For your first monthly instalment you will receive your own thread box and six spools of Aurifil thread.  Every month after that for eleven months, you will receive six more threads until you receive the full collection of 72 colours.

Let me know what you think...

More Quilts to Show You

Here is some more work being done by my students in class.

First, this is Sally's very stunning version of "Rococo" with a twist.  Her Le Moyne Star blocks have been made using the whack and stack method and then set on point in one of my sampler series settings. Wow, it is so beautiful!

Here is a close up of some of the blocks:

Then, here is Leanne's completed "Mansfield Park" in very soft Mrs March fabrics. I love the way the star in the log cabin blocks really pops in Leanne's colour version!

And close ups:

Then, this is Robin's completed "Rosings" with it's magnificent border of William Morris poppies.  The appliqué looks fantastic on the centre black background.  Wow, wow, wow!

Here are some blocks made by Glynn for her Millefiori "baby" blocks. They are so cute...

Thanks girls!