Country Geese

Tonight we ate dinner at our dining room table (a luxury we missed in our old, small house), quickly ironed my finished quilt in my new studio (it's really way too big to be called merely a "sewing room"), and walked down Cucumber Lane, our new address, to the Lucerne fields for photos in the evening light. 

We have had a wonderful, relaxed Christmas. With everything new enough to feel like we're really on holidays, but with all our stuff here too, to make it feel like home. We've got our first, real Christmas tree since we got married, and we've been eating locally grown cherries, bought from the side of the road, from an old farmer who enjoys a chat. We've been listening nostalgically to Amy Grant Christmas albums from the '80s, drinking coffee, watching movies, sitting out on the front verandah over looking the view. I haven't done any baking (which suits me just fine!), but I have been sewing.

This flying geese quilt was made from all the leftover half square triangles from my last quilt. I cut a lot of triangles! I blame it entirely on the Accuquilt Go cutter I have. It's been perfect for turning all my funny shaped scraps into usable shapes. And apparently it's so easy (therapuetic maybe?), that I just kept cutting away till I had this many.
I really enjoyed making this quilt. Partly because I loved the colours together, so quiet, happy satisfaction kept me company throughout my sewing, rather than constant doubt or reassessing. The simple, repetitive pattern allows for some lines to be lost where colour or value is similar, and it doesn't detract from the overall effect. I was constantly careful with the Nine Patch Dash to create as much contrast as the prints allowed. But I didn't even worry about that here.

I also love the light and space in my new sewing room. In my last house, while my sewing room was big enough, I sat awkwardly in a corner. I didn't even really think about it until moving here and sitting along a long, white wall which feels so open and spacious. The window near my machine overlooks our large front yard which is full of trees, with mountains in the background.

 Ahhh. Can you tell I feel like I've taken a deep breath? I think we all have. We are so thankful. And my mind is abuzz with ideas and colour. I can't wait to show them off here in these beautiful fields.

Hello, Win a Jelly Roll!

Hello! This is me:

Quilts, 3 kids, suburbia, Australia. Madly packing up the house to move to our new oasis in the country this weekend!

This is my giveaway!

I'm joining in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day with this Figures Jelly Roll and a PDF copy of my Drawstring Quilt Pattern! Remember those Lego play mats I had as a kid? This is just like that, but all sewn, prettier, and perfect for baby. My pattern has lots of colour photos, making it great for a confident beginner.

To enter, simply leave a comment below this post. Tell me, are you going to have a HOT Christmas like me? Or a COLD one? Then pop back up to this friendly Rafflecopter widget and let it know you've left a comment. It will then show you extra ways to enter.
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Thanks for stopping by and joining in!


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Sew the Library

When I did my year long fabric fast last year, quilting books became my little retail therapy treat. All those pretty colours on paper were almost as sweet as the cotton variety! I've made a few things from these wonderful pages, but mostly they sit on my shelf (or in boxes ready for our big move) and I just enjoy the look of them as a collection.

When Heidi from Fabric Mutt said she'd set herself the goal of sewing her way through her crafty library, a few of us suggested a sew-along. I for one love the idea of a little extra motivation, and seeing what other books are out there. And Heidi agreed! And I get to host one of the link ups!

If you'd like to join us, we'll be linking first to Heidi's blog in January, then Martha's over at Weekend Doings in Feb, then over here in March. If you've made something inspired by one of the books or magazines you love, you can share your blog post about it from the 20th of each month. And if people are having fun, we'll keep going throughout the year! Sound fun? I think so. I think it'll be just the push I need to make a few Farmer's Wife or City Sampler blocks each month. Or maybe some the kaleidoscope quilt I've always loved from Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration by Denyse Schmidt. Is there a quilt you've been meaning to make?