Material Obsession

The End?

2006-11-22T22:58:00.000+11:00

Hey guess what? We have moved house!

Check our our brand new website and blog at www.materialobsession.typepad.com.

This address will no longer be a functioning blog but you will still be able to view our old blogs here.

See you there.

Swap Day Comes Around Again

2006-11-21T20:43:00.000+11:00

SWAP DAY

Material Obsession’s annual Swap Day Sale is on again!
Sunday, December 3 from
10am – 4pm

Swap Day includes:

Browse through Material Obsession’s sale fabrics. Spot the dots on fabric bolts for 10%, 15% or 25% discount per metre. 10% off selected books and all haberdashery. Loads of fabric for $10 per metre.

Swap fabric from your stash to jazz up your colour choices at home! Bring a piece of fabric and swap it for a same sized piece of fabric from the bins. Ie. Swap a FQ for FQ etc. All fabric left over is donated to the Hunters Hill Quilters for community quilts. Fabric donations gratefully accepted. PLEASE only 100% cotton patchwork fabrics.

Special guests Sue Cody with her collection of medallion fabric for sale, and Sheena from Ric-Rac selling vintage quilt tops, blocks and gifts.

Sit and have cappuccino and cake in the car park and have a look at the "airing of the quilts! "

Most of all, take the opportunity to bring in projects you’ve worked on this year to show the girls, have a chat, and have fun! Looking forward to seeing you all.

PS Especially for all you bloggers who can't make it in to the shop for Swap Day, place an order for a kit or book on December 1, 2 or 3 by email or phone and receive 10% off. Offer excludes Kaffe Fassetts new book. Sorry!

Round Robin Stage 2

2006-11-20T17:28:00.000+11:00

Round Robin Navajo Indian style...this photo of my freshly assembled round robin quilt top (and my loyal doggy Duke)was taken a few days back when it was freezing cold and very gray! Today the clothes the same clothes line has laundry on it drying in seconds in the super hot heat of the later afternoon. Anyway, you have all seen Sarah's gorgeous redwork bits that have fit magically together into a nearly done snappy little project. Mine is now together but resting at the bottom of a pile of quilts to be quilted...five huge projects.
However, we also got lucky when a bit of Freshcut fell into our hands. Freshcut is the appropriately named line from Heather Bailey full of divine florals and fresh new colors. Instead of quilting all weekend I spent what was left of Sunday afternoon working on yet another quilt to add to the stack only this one is freshly cut fresh offcuts.... looking forward to some time off over the holidays to move some of these to the finished pile.
ps...finally got to do something with the Nifty Notions Wedge Ruler and what fun it was! kathy

The Cut Loose Quilters

2006-11-16T20:59:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was that one Wednesday a month and the Cut Loose Quilters (otherwise known as the ruler group) were in the shop for their class. As usual we managed to do a lot of talking, not much sewing and a huge amount of eating Lindsay's chocolate cheesecake. Life is hard and long, but we manage. :)

The girls also brought their usual rollout of amazing projects completed, enough to make Kath and I feel itchy and need to go home to the sewing machines!

Libby has been quilting and finishing the Christmas Shopping quilt that she was doing at Quilt Camp....

and Version Two, which we presume is called, "Shopping in the January Sales". Love the colours in this one.

A round of applause for Sheena, who has been playing with the Nifty Notions Wedge ruler. She created these fabulous wheels, which she is going to applique to a green linen table cloth by pinking the edges and decorating with Perle cotton and green bobbles. She's getting a bit too clever for her own good, we might have to knee-cap her.

And Lindsay has as usual managed to out do herself and everyone else by creating this little beauty, which is a take on the dresden plates and She's Apples quilts, using the Nifty Notions rulers again. She has used toiles for the backround and seventy two different fabrics for the plate blades!! This quilt is completely hand pieced and completed in a matter of weeks, and if that doesn't make you want to bash her up, she also makes a mean chokkie cheesecake. Show off.
Thanks for a fun afternoon again girls! And apologies to Cheryl for not photographing her lovely Carpenters Wheel block, I promise to get it next time. :) Sarah

Festive Aprons

2006-11-14T19:16:00.000+11:00

If you're thinking about Christmas craft and what to fill all those little stockings with, try these on for size. These two beautiful aprons are shown modelled by my devine Oscar, who is seven, and not at all concerned by the fact that he is wearing an apron.

By contrast, my husband is not quite as happy about wearing an apron, especially knowing that is photo will be seen by other people.

All that aside, I made both the aprons using Christmas fabrics from the shop. I made three little aprons, one for the shop and two for my little nieces for Christmas, along with some cute shaped cookie cutters and a tiny little wooden rolling pin. The kids size aprons use half a metre of fabric, and took only about 30mins to make, including the bias for the apron strings.

Bearing in mind that the aprons still fit Oscar at seven, and I made them for three year olds, they should last a while. Best of all they were quick, inexpensive and easy to construct! The fabric comes in four different designs and is $24 per metre, and the big green spot is from Yuwa and is $28 per metre. :) Sarah

Glorious Kaffe

2006-11-13T21:09:00.000+11:00

Believe it or not, it's true, the wonderful, wonderful Kaffe has a new book out and Material Obsession have it in!

Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilts offers the reader a range of 20 individual designs that feature both the new fabrics in Rowan's patchwork range and some firm favorites. Photographed against the glittering backdrop of the Mediterranean island of Malta, these quilts echo the bright sunshine colors in a glorious array of new designs from both Kaffe and his team, including Liza Prior-Lucy and Pauline Smith. With each quilt comes illustrated step-by-step instructions with colored diagrams, a 'flat shot' photo, and the quilt template.

All this for the bargain price of $45 - YES - it's too good to be true - inspiration in a soft cover - call now and recieve a free set of steak knives! We post. :) Sarah

PS Just kidding about the knives, but you already knew that.

Red Red Robin

2006-11-10T21:15:00.000+11:00

Kathy and I have been participating in a Round Robin with our group, the Hunters Hill Quilters, over the past few months. You might remember that I did the fish block for another quilter's Robin a few months ago. Well, the Round has finished and I have my rows back, and they are shown below! I asked for red and cream with a touch of green. I made the top row of daisies, and the other ladies added another row as it went between four other people.

The reason I asked for red and cream is that a million years ago when I still had time to hand embroider (did that time ever actually exist? Apparently so) I stitched a whole lot of redwork designs by a couple of stitchery designers, predominately Bronwyn Hayes. I never did anything with them, so I thought that the RR might be a good opportunity to use them up.

I'm thinking of sashing the redwork apart using some of these new Moda dots we've got in, and the red print from Piece O'Cake's Serendipity range.

Cute huh? I'll let you know when I've finished, and I'll get onto Kath to post you her RR tomorrow night! That's if and when she manages to crawl out from under the six hours of cricket matches she has to attend tomorrow..... three boys is a massive sporting life.

We can order any of the many Bronwyn Hayes books in for you, and we currently have her latest block of the month pattern Polka Dot Girls, in stock as a complete pattern. Happy quilting...and stitching..... :) Sarah

PS To those of you who have been asking about the beautiful Dove in the Window quilt a few posts ago, it is Brigitte Giblin's design and she unfortunately doesn't sell her patterns, you have to take one of her classes to get them. Sorry about that!

Another Great Link

2006-11-09T21:07:00.000+11:00

This one's a doozie. Click on this link to www.dailycandy.com and they will send you an email for free telling you about what's hot in design and fashion, and the latest of everything. This is the email they sent me yesterday..... beautiful retro wallpaper cutouts for your kids rooms. I want the elephant for my sewing room! :) Sarah
http://www.rompbklyn.com/html/items/wallpaper_zoo.html#

Clever Clogs

2006-11-08T22:00:00.000+11:00

Believe it or not this a first quilt! Nancy is in our Wednesday morning class, and decided she would make Summer Sunshine as her first quilt. Well, it grew a bit, and with a colour change and a few extra blocks, here's the result. Well done Nancy, you should be pround of yourself, it looks great.

Summer Sunshine by Nancy

Summer Sunshine by Sarah

And my Wednesday night class has once again produced a lovely quilt, Kathy is midway through this medallion for her bed, using beautiful Kensington fabric for the centre. It's looking devine, and we'll keep you updated as she goes along. Keep up the good work Kathy :) Sarah

Christmas Presents

2006-11-07T17:59:00.000+11:00

Due to low funds and a large collection of beautiful silk threads, I decided this year to make the presents for my kids teachers. A while ago I bought Katherine Shaughnessy's gorgeous crewel embroidery book, The New Crewel, so I started there. Sort through the stash for fabrics, pulled out the threads, throw in a few bars of nice soap and hey presto.... teacher presents! Well the first one, anyway.

Only two more to go.... lucky they're so fun to make. Her book is truly lovely and brings the craft of crewel squarely into the modern home. The links above go to her website, where her art is featured, and also to a crewel website which links to a site where she sells her pillows and kits. Check it out! Sarah

Baby Quilts Galore

2006-11-06T22:39:00.000+11:00

This month's issue of APQ contains not one, but two MO baby quilts for you to whip up for thelittle people in your life. Cowboy Baby, Kath's little western number (below) has been so popular that we have already sold out of the blue fabric it's made from, and we can only do it for you in green. I tell you this not as a har-de-har-de har-har piece of info, but to let you know that in green it is just as cute and has the added bonus of being still available!

Oh! Olivia, is quick and easy quilt in black and red just perfect for a newborns. I realised that I am really still a child when I begged Kath for the chance to make a quilt "with the piggy fabric". Oh well, at least I know what I am.....

Both these darling kits are available now from MO, and contain all the fabric for the top, the binding and the pattern. AND a Material Obsession quilt label, which I know you are all just hanging out for. To order, you can email materialobsession@ozemail.com.au , and if you quote the code blogd1, you can get 10% off the original price, a special deal just for all our beautiful blog readers. Good luck with your Melbourne Cup bets for tomorrow.... love that first Tuesday in November! :) Sarah

Free Quilt Pics!

2006-11-05T20:55:00.000+11:00

Here's a great little idea.... how you can get a free quilt pic sent to your computer every month.

The INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln houses one of the largest publicly owned quilt collections in the world. The quilts range from outstanding early examples of American quilts to contemporary and international quilts. The International Quilt Study Center's collection now numbers nearly 2000 quilts from fourteen countries, dating from the late 1700s to the present. The quilt shown below is one of their latest acquisitions.

Click onthe link and have a look at their website, where you can search and browse through their entire quilt collection, or sign up to their monthly email system, and they'll send you a pic of the Quilt of the Month to inspire your inbox every four weeks. Not bad for free! :) Sarah

Brigitte Giblin

2006-11-02T17:55:00.000+11:00

One Thursday a month Brigitte Giblin brings her bag of tricks (translated as gorgeous quilts) to the shop for a class. Today was that day full of oooh's and aaah's as she revealed her latest projects and we showed her our progress as well...Theresa started us off with her version of "The Couples" quilt which in this case is very retro and decidedly single...

We spent some time going nuts over this and then Kelly showed us her progress on her hexagon quilt...

Brigitte had a new treasure to show us today with Orange Peels and Hexagons in gorgeous mixes of warm and cool colors.

And the latest quilt for Brigitte's new farm is her version of Sarah's favourite block, Dove in the Window in reds, black, and latte.

It was an exhausting day filled with inspirational viewing, fabric selecting and lots of lively chat. All too soon over until next month! kathy

Tuesday's Class

2006-11-01T17:24:00.000+11:00

The gals on Tuesday night have been sadly neglected. Their work is marvelous and varied as seen here. Kate has been stacking quilt tops for what appears to be years. Every week she brings in another treat that she wants to finish. Check them out.

Rachael is looking happy now as she has been busy working on finishing Ruby's butterly quilt and has it nearly there.

One project that has been slowing down the quilting progress is her cute little Chrismas calendar which is also nearly finished!

Michelle is working on her gorgeous Annie's Garden Quilt (see Sarah, people in my class do your quilts too!!) which is coming along very nicely despite her hectic schedule with two little kids!
There's been a lot of progress this year and lots more projects either finished or still in dream state but well done all! k

whoooooooooo.......

2006-10-31T21:56:00.000+11:00

Yes, it's Halloween Down Under, and while it's not the most Australian of holidays, our street has a great tradition we practise for the kids. All the people who want to be Trick or Treated to decorate the fronts of their houses, and those that don't, don't. So the kids know which houses to go to, and we parents don't have to worry about people getting angry with the kids. Here's a few pics of my kids and the "ghostie" protecting the treats at the end of our driveway.....

The Scary Movie monster, the Hunchback and Frankenstein!

If you're an Aussie who doesn't know much about Halloween, or one that does and want to make a quilt to celebrate, or even someone from countries where Halloween is the norm and you don't know what I'm on about, check out these fun Halloween quilts I found searching around on the net, and get inspired with all the orange fabrics in your stash!

Happy Halloween! :) Sarah

Dolly Update

2006-10-30T20:26:00.000+11:00

For lack of anything to blog tonight I'm showing you a little update of how my dolly quilt is coming along..... they are looking quite cute, and to see more things like them you should check out Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran's book, Colloraborative Quilting, or Gwen's website, www.gwenmarston.com . To tell you the truth I am so shattered from watching the final episode of Grey's Anatomy that I may just go into mourning until it comes back next year. True love never dies! I'm off to weep quietly on my couch and email Kath who I know is weeping too.... enjoy the pics :) Sarah

PS. Happy birthday Big Oscar

KDP Strikes Again

2006-10-27T21:17:00.000+10:00

Just sharing with you yet another masterpiece from our talented and very prolific accountant, Kathie de Palo. She just keeps whipping them out, and the quilt below is one of her best I think. She made it in a workshop with Leesa Seigle in Coffs Harbour. We really have to put hobbles on that girl, she is too clever for her own good!

And while we're still blowing our own trumpets, check out the cover of Down Under Quilts this month, featuring our very own Carolyn Davis' very very popular quilt Tokyo Rose. I think Kath and I might retire and just let these girls drive the train. Then I might read a book, or go to a movie, or sleep..... aaah, who am I kidding.... watch out in dark alleys KDP, we're comin' to getcha!

Creative Kudos

2006-10-26T20:51:00.000+10:00

Reading my favourite blogs today, I came across these great thoughts from the Yarn Harlot. I often wonder at the same feelings from girls who come in the shop. Frequently people don't bring their quilts in to show us because they're "too embarassed", or run their own achievements down by saying someone else picked all the fabric, or that all their points don't match. I have one thing to say to all you girls out there - sing your own praises! Quilters, knitters, whatever you are - the process of creating something with your own hands is an age old and time consuming thing, and in this day and age of rushing and bustling along with your life, spending time on something creative and something which requires concentration and dedication is to be celebrated. So next time someone says to you, "Did you make that? You're so clever!" don't hide your light under a bushel... say "Yes, I did make that, yes I am extremely clever - tell me again!" Oh, and you might want to have all your door frames enlarged to fit your head. :) Sarah

Kath Made This!
Carolyn Made This!
And I Made This!

A Mere Bagatelle

2006-10-25T18:49:00.000+10:00

How cute is that? Whipping up this bag was too easy with this book from Indygo Junction. We made the Tweedy Bag, using the new line of fabric from Echino.

The ladybird fabric comes in four different colourways, and is the perfect weight to make bags with! We lined our bag with the purple and blue spot from the Echino range, and it looks gorgeous. The book and the fabric are both available from MO, and don't forget we also have Amy Butler bag patterns if that's more what you're looking for! Sarah

Bella Avalon

2006-10-24T17:00:00.000+10:00

We picked out an Avalon quilt for a customer the other day and the fabrics looked so delicious we just had to make one for ourselves. Most of the fat quarters are from Belle, Amy Butler's new line, and two are from Anna Maria Horner's Bohemian. The sashing is from Jennifer Sampou's Colour Beat. It looks great here, but in real life the colours are so rich and glowy. Yummo! Not bad for an arvo's work.

The original Avalon quilt (below).

City Windows

2006-10-22T15:43:00.000+10:00

Reading the Sunday paper today, I came across this picture of a famous piece of architecture in Vienna, the Friedensriech Hundertwasser apartment building. The hundertwasser house is an extreme example of how housing identity is formed. Inside the building, no two apartments are alike, and are designed and decorated completely differently. Many of the apartments take up several storeys, and are designed as "houses within houses".
The exterior of the building is textural, colourful and asymetrical. What a wonderful and exciting piece of inner city living! If only more architects were given to such artistic liscence, we might be rid of some of the world's uglier high rises. Click on the link below to see more of this wonderful building.

Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Looking at all this colour explosion led me to look around some more, and I found another great building, this time in London. St. Martins Lane Hotel features light displays in every Guest Room that allow guests to personalize their own individual space by changing the colour of the lights in their room to suit their whim or mood. This interactive service helps to turn the hotel into a beautiful and ever changing mosaic of color. Must put that one on my must do travel list.

And the more I looked, the more it reminded me of something. To make your own city scape quilt, you could try our MO pattern, City Windows! I made the original quilt using woollen tailor's samples, cashmere and patchwork cottons. Have a look at the architecture in your area and use the images in your quilting! You never know what you might come up with. Sarah :)

The Ruler Group Strikes Again

2006-10-20T20:39:00.000+10:00

Ruler Group today... it was Cath and Cheryl's birthdays so we all had wonderful hazelnut and chocolate cake made by Lindsay, yum yum! AND it had sour cream and brown sugar on top. Must have these girls in more often.

They arrived just after the most delicious shipment of Lecien spots and stripes, which I will photograph and post for you on Monday, if they survive the weekend! I was tempted to take the lot home and drape my living room in them, but the thought of the kids walking all over it was too much to bear. Besides that I do have rather alot of fabric already, so there may have been some resistance from several parties. Such is life.

Back to the subject at hand, the newly named Cut Loose Quilters have been very busy as usual and we have a few photos to share. One is Libby's finished Christmas quilt, which she started at Quilt Camp, shown below being held up by our lovely model Sheena. Libby wasn't at the group today, but her quilt made a guest appearance, so we take this opportunity to say, "Well done Libby, it looks lovely!"

This one is Lindsay's finished Carlton quilt, completely hand pieced and hand quilted! Another Quilt Camp production. Lindsay used some interesting red and cream upholstery fabrics and big print florals for her stars. Shown below is Kath's original Carlton so you can compare the pair. Modelled in glittering style by the spectacular but rather pensive Kathy, and Lindsay herself.

A good day was had by all... looking forward to a quiet weekend and maybe some hand sewing of my Sue Spargo amongst the lavender in the front garden. Have a good one :) Sarah

The Wednesday Night Girls Return

2006-10-19T20:15:00.000+10:00

So good to see my Wednesday Night girls after three weeks without classes! Although someof them did come on Quilt Camp, of course. And as per usual, they've been busy.... Kate's been piecing K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Stupid) for a friend's wedding, using Flea Market Fancy and a fabulous Asian print of fans and butterflies. Wish someone gave me that for a wedding present!
And Kathy's been quietly piecing away on a project she's been working on from a magazine. She has used all sorts of fabrics from the shop. It's beautifully pieced and the colours look great. She still has a few borders to add, so we'll keep you updated on the progress.

Good to have you back girls, see you next week! Sarah

Hello Horsey

2006-10-18T20:59:00.000+10:00

Isn't he cute? Anyway he thought my quilt was very nice and tried to take a mouthful, so I had to go and rescue it pretty smartly, there's quite a few hours of applique in there! These are the quilt tops I worked on in Morpeth. Above is the Dresden plate quilt I've been working on for a while, and below is the developments on the Field Study Glimmer quilt, which now has a working title of "The Wisdom of Frogs" thanks to Lindsay from the Ruler Group!

This one is my brother Dave's wedding quilt, which has been in the works for ages but is finally done and off being machine quilted by the wonderful Kim Bradley. I have to say I'm really pleased with it, and it's very "them" so I know they're going to love it. The wedding is in December, so I've got a while to get it back and bind it!

And finally, this quilt is made using seven antique Circling Swallows blocks that I bought from Sheena's business, Ric Rac, which operates out of Material Obsession at the moment! I set the blocks on point using American Folk Art fabric, and a smashing pink and cream spot I've been hording in the stash for just such an occasion. I love using antique blocks, I can't wait to quilt it.

So that's what kept me busy in Morpeth! Patterns will most certainly follow, they always do.... and look out for the Dresden quilt in a later issue of Down Under Quilts. Sarah :)

Clever Kath

2006-10-17T21:49:00.000+10:00

Well would you look what I found.... while we were working hard at Quilt Camp, we also found some time to sew! Believe it or not Kathy finished two tops and started two other projects, and I finished two tops and started two more, which I'll post tomorrow night. For now, I thought I would share with you the brilliance that is my business partner..... Kath whipped up this one, made predominately from Anna Marie Horner's Bohemia range.

She has been wanting to do a Carolina Lily block for ages, and this is her take on it. Don't you love the way the flowers in the border look like they're growing out of a vine? It amazes me how Kath always manages to take something you have seen a million times like a Carolina Lily, or the Cross block below, and make it look new and different.

This black and red Cross quilt Kath is making for her son, Noah. I really like the way the black and greys form the 3D effect around the Civil War "bandanna" fabric in the centre blocks.
This is an applique quilt Kath's working on. I love those little birdies perching in the middle of the block. You should see what esle she's got planned for this quilt! It's going to look great. We'll keep you updated on the progress of these quilts in coming months, as well a a few others Kath's got up her bottomless sleeve! Sarah :)

The Crispy Quilters

2006-10-16T12:03:00.000+10:00

Yes, after seven days, we had to do some washing. At least the setting was picturesque..... and we had a few hours in between the Ruler Group and the last group arriving. A few quiet stitches later they arrived, first Christine and Deidre, from Brisbane, and their friend Lisa, and Nicole from Newcastle. Considering we had never met the girls before, we were soon all chatting away over a coffee and Krispy Creme kindly brought by Christine, and before they knew it all the girls were unpacking and getting ready to sew.

Did I say unpacking? These girls from Brisbane win the "she who dies with the most equipment wins" competition, hands down. Kath and I were boggled by the extremely comprehensive collection of gadgets, lights and irons that came out of bags, not to mention the absolutely stunning array of applique quilts in progress. All three Brisbane girls have a passion for applique quilts, and they certainly have made some lovely ones.

All three had come to do versions of our Fanciful Flowers quilt, which was quite a compliment considering the level of their applique! However, like most of our quilts, Fanciful Flowers ain't your usual little flowers and baskets, so the girls were challenged by the bold shapes and colours.

Lisa's Fanciful Flowers

Christine's Fanciful Flowers

Denise's Fanciful Flowers

Nicole is a beginner quilter, although we use that term loosely! She has never made a quilt before, but she has done alot of other sewing, and it has certainly inspired her to great things. She designed this butterfly quilt herself for her daughter, picked her fabrics and set about teaching herself to foundation piece. Not a bad little start for a"beginner" is it?

Once again we had a great time with this group of girls.... it was lovely to meet some new people, see some new quilts, learn a few new things ourselves! When we sat down to eat dinner on Saturday night, I do have to say though that I was looking forward to dinner with my kids the next night. Quilt Camp was great fun, but exhausting for the teachers! Unbeknownst to all of you in blog land, Kathy, Carolyn and I spent the week sleeping in a shed out the back with a tractor next door and all three of our melodic snores blending in the night..... good thing we all get along so well or there could have been all sorts of trouble. I have to say that there are very few people in the world who could spend ten days eating, sleeping and working together non stop, without a cross word to be had, and I love you guys! xx

I leave you all with a photo of our resident kangaroo eating the front lawn for all you overseas viewers.... and a very random shot of Carolyn sewing the skin back onto a sweet potato, for which I have no explanation :) Happy quilting and that's all of Quilt Camp until next year. Thanks so much to everyone who came and we're looking forward to the next one. Sarah

She's Apples

2006-10-15T20:20:00.000+10:00

She'll be apples when you take on this little beauty! She's Apples is made using two Nifty Notions rulers which are available from Material Obsession, some easy piecing and a beautiful rosy border. This is the easiest way to make Dresden Plates we've ever seen, and they're so quick! Pattern, kit and/or rulers are all available now, or you can check out this month's Country Threads magazine where the quilt is featured.

Look out tomorrow for the final installment of Quilt Camp - group 4, the Crispy Quilters are coming your way. Happy quilting..... Sarah

Go Margaret!

2006-10-12T19:49:00.000+10:00

Just a quickie to share with you this photo of Margaret we received today. She has finished her Carlton top she started at Quilt Camp - doesn't it look great? Go Margaret!

PS. For those of you who've asked, yes there is a Bunny pattern, and it's $20 AUS (that's $15 USD) and you can order by email, or by calling the shop on (61 2) 9817 2733 Thanks!

Group 3 - The Ruler Group

2006-10-11T17:21:00.000+10:00

The Ruler Group started coming to us recently for a little inspiration and a nice place to sew on a Wednesday afternoon. The girls have all been sewing together for a few years, and the group includes Sheena, our lovely Thursday employee in the shop. After a very quiet two hours between Group 2 and Group 3, they crunched up the driveway and it was game on again.

The Ruler Group have all been quilting for some years, and they are none of them afraid to try new tools, new fabrics or new techniques. Unlike the other groups we had a few things planned to keep these firecrackers amused, including some liberated piecing from Gwen Marston's books which Libby brought, and a whole box full of different Marti Michell rulers for them to try.

Cheryl came to Quilt camp to make a quilt for her nephew, and used the ruler class prior to Camp to pick our her fabrics. The pattern is from Kaffe Fassett's book, Quilt Road, and done in these fabrics it has a real zing to it perfect for a bloke! Cheryl was the quiet achiever in the corner, who zipped along and finished her top in no time. She even had time for a Gwen Marston dolly block and to experiment with some Marti Michell rulers, making this lovely star.

Libby brought two projects with her to Quilt Camp. First she worked on a Christmas quilt combining stars and trees for a festive throw -

and then she pieced some liberated dolly blocks to go with her previously pieced liberated shopping bags, to make Christmas Shopping!

Cath is a lady who always has something interesing in her sewing basket, and there is one stash I would like to get a look in. True to form she brought with her some gorgeous bark cloth and various other bits and pieces to make this throw-

which she had stitched up before drinks on the first day! She then moved on to this interesting little number, which she pasted onto her black design wall and promptly had us all argueing as to wether or not it needed a black background.

In between all that Cath found time to piece this little liberated stars cot quilt, a very stylish little dolly and this rather amazing wagon wheel made using a Marti Michell ruler. Phew! We're tired just watching her.

And then there was Lindsay. Lindsay kept us all in hysterics as well as in stitches for her entire stay. Every time she opened her mouth she had us all laughing - and blushing from the jokes! Somewhere along the line though Lindsay beautifully hand pieced some lovely blocks for The Carlton. Lindsay sually hand pieces all her quilts, although she surprised us recently by showing up to a ruler class with a complete, hand quilted and quite large quilt, using a ruler Kathy taught her to use only four weeks before! These girls freak us out, they are just too quick for their own good. :)

Lindsay also brought with her this stunning redwork quilt she has been working on, designed by taking the pictures from all her favourite dress patterns she has made over the years. Isn't that a great idea?

Which leads us to Sheena, who came all ready to finish the quilt she started with the very same ruler. Sheena is the vintage queen. She sells her vintage fabrics, orphan blocks and antique quilt tops at the shop, and loves to use vintage and reclaimed fabrics where others would use new. The girls all joke that Sheena's answer to every quilting dilemma is, "Just put some ric-rac over it!" . Here's the quilt she worked on over the Camp using the most beautiful vintage fabric as her main inspiration.

We had so much fun with these girls.... there was alot of laughter, alot of sewing by all, alot of eating and quite alot of drinking as well! The Ruler Group is a great addition to our MO class schedule, we love having you girls.

Libby shows off her dolly and shopping bag

Linsday shows us why hats and glasses don't mix

Linsday and Kath designing

Dinnertime!

Shots from our impromptu quilt show - Libby's Christmas quilt and Sheena's vintage Pressed Roses

Sheena's applique quilt, Cath's throw and some of Libby's bags

Carolyn's stunning stars

Sheena's quilt, Cath's blocks and Lindsay's Carlton star

Everyone at the show. Great Camp everyone! Thanks for coming :) Sarah

What do you Call a Man with 50 Rabbits up his Bottom?

2006-10-10T18:20:00.000+10:00

Warren!

Good Aussie joke if ever there was one. And rabbits are the theme of tonight's blog. For those of you who don't know, before MO I had another life as a maker of toy rabbits for children's clothing shops. You know the type, full of hand-smocked dresses and little woolly blankets with sheep on? Well that's what I did, and I must have made thousands of the rotten things over the years, both to sell and for my friend's babies, and also for my babies. In fact, that's how I made my first bunny, for my son Charlie, before he was born.

I went into the usual nesting frenzy pregnant women have, madly folding and refolding tiny singlets and embroidering bees onto muslin squares, until I decided that my unborn child needed a comfort toy, and needed it now. I found in a cupboard an old pattern my Mum had, which was hand written and hand drawn and came from who knows where. I made my first bunny entirely by hand, sewing love and drippy Mummy feelings into every stitch.

Unfortunately I made Bunny for a girl, so when Charlie was born he immediately attached himself to a pink rabbit, and my husband had a hissy fit. But that's all in the past.

Bunny looked something like this -

and Charlie did love him, so much so that after nine and a half years, Bunny looks like this -

having been sewn many times into a network of patches so extensive that it would take an historian several years to excavate. Never the less, Bunny goes to bed every night and Charlie can't do without him. So when I was pregnant with my second child, I made him a Bunny, and after nearly seven years, Oscar's Bunny (original names, I know), looks like this -

The thing about Bunnies I have decided, is their ears. Kids love to drag them around, and rub their softness on their little faces as they go to sleep. It's a fail safe combo. Trust me, I'm the expert.
And then, about four years ago, I was in a massive car accident and was nearly killed. I spent three and a half months recouperating in hospital, and trust me I was sick because I didn't sew a stitch the entire time. While I was there, a lovely friend was thinking of me and decided that as I had made so many Bunnies for kids of the years, I needed one to be made for me. Lindy is a sculptor who makes figures of various kinds, using cloth and bone and wire, amongst other things. While I was in the hospital, Linde sewed this Bunny for me. It was just about the nicest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me, and my Bunny sits in pride of place in my sewing room and watches every stitch I sew.

If you would like to make a Bunny for someone special, big or small, you can buy the pattern from us for $20 AUS. And no, I DON'T make them any more. Not for anyone!!! (Sorry, but I'm all Bunnied out!) If you would like to know more about Linde Ivimey's wonderful artworks, click on the link below and you will see some of her latest works. Happy quilting, and sorry about that vulgar joke :) Sarah
http://www.martinbrownefineart.com/Ivimey06Ex.htm

Quilt Camp Group Two

2006-10-09T21:35:00.000+10:00

Group Two arrived the next day, consisting of two of our lovely Friday students, Ellen and Marg; a very loyal customer, Billy Jean and her friend Bronwyn; and Margaret from Townsville, whom we had never met! At only our second ever QC group, we were a little nervous about having a guest we had never met before, but as soon as she arrived we were at our ease with Margaret. What a terriffic and friendly addition to Group Two!

Almost as soon as the girls arrived they were in the sewing room, eager to start and get as much of their projects done as possible - cups of tea and bikkies not withstanding of course. Ellen is working on a Piece O' Cake quilt from their book, A Quilt for All Seasons, which she started in a Friday class not long ago. Ellen makes all her quilts by hand and is a great lover of applique, so getting her onto the sewing machine on day 2 to piece a liberated star block was a gigantic step! She did a great job, but was soon back at her hand applique and used her time to make big inroads into her pile of blocks.

Marg has also made all three of her quilts by hand, and done some lovely applique, and is also working on a Piece O' Cake quilt. She had done quite a few blocks and was quite keen to learn how to strip piece the long pieces which are to seperate the applique pieces from each other. A few minuites on the machine and she was away, and managed to complete over five metres of strippy bits to put in her quilt! Something tells me she's going to be making a few machine pieced quilts in amongst all that hand piecing from now on. (The applique in the top strip is from something special Kathy is working on.... more about that later!)

Margaret had come from Townsville with Kathy's quilt, The Carlton, in mind, and she was away and cutting straight out of the starting gate. Margaret managed to get heaps of her top pieced during her stay, and was fantastic company to boot. You're welcome back any time Margaret, it was great to meet you!

Billy Jean and Bronwyn are old friends who have recently met back up with each other, and decided to use Quilt Camp to renew their friendship. We can't think of anything better than spending a few days away with a special friend, sewing and gossiping - and eating, because there was plenty of that.

Billy Jean decided a while ago that she would make a version of Kathy's Retro Starburst for the couch at her beach house, and picked some fantastic bright and funky fabrics to do it. After a quick trip to Morpeth for a quarter inch foot for her machine, Billy Jean put together the most gorgeous top, all ready to quilt when she gets home. Well done you!

When Bronwyn came in to the shop to pick the quilt she wanted to do at the retreat she was concerned that she would have trouble getting anything too complex together in the time she had. We think she was pulling our leg, because with the greatest of ease she whipped up this colourful and beautifully made Tokyo Rose - so lovely in fact that she sent Margaret scurrying back to Sydney for a Tokyo Rose kit of her own to take home to Townsville. Make sure you send us a photo when it's done Margaret!

All in all Group Two were such a delight.... two groups in and we were feeling pretty good about this retreat business. Great company, good food, good wine, more good food, more good wine... and we haven't even showed you all the sewing Kathy, Carolyn and I got done yet! But first things first... Group Three is coming your way, and "the Ruler Group" certainly got some work done. Stay tuned..... Sarah :)

Ellen and Marg stitching in the corner.....

Bill Jean and Bronwyn working hard

Willing hands in the kitchen

Kathie de Palo

2006-10-06T17:58:00.000+10:00

As we mentioned last night, our clever-clogs friend, fellow Hunters Hill Quilter and accountant is also a very beautiful quilter, who is features in the Meet a Quilter section of this month's Down Under Quilts. Shown are several of Kathie's amazing quilts, as well as the story of how she came to be a quilter. This very unassuming lady doesn't realise quite how talented she is with colour and with her meticulous piecing, and Kath and I are both proud to have her as part of the Material Obsession team.

Her lovely quilt, Softly, Softly, shown above left, is available as a kit or a pattern from MO.
As usual our good friend Erica Spinks, Down Under editor extrodinaire, has delivered a beautiful issue, including a profile of another of our fav Australian quilters, Judy Hooworth, some great projects, an interesting article about working with plaids and another about tracing from photos to use images in quilts - a really interesting thing to learn how to do, and one I love to use myself! Also featured is my quilt, The Big Pineapple, shown above. I made this quilt using Amy Butler's Charm range, and it was terriffic fun to make. I especially enjoyed picking the fabric combinations for each block, and the way the blue fabric created the lines that run through the quilt. If you're overseas and can't get DUQ, and would like the pattern, it is available from MO for $20 AUS.

Check out this issue of DUQ, it's fabulous as usual, and look out tomorrow for the next installment of the stories from Quilt Camp. Sarah :)

Group One - the Wednesday Girls

2006-10-05T19:29:00.000+10:00

And so the Wednesday Girls (plus one) arrived at Quilt Camp - at least everyone but Sophie who had a pressing engagement in town and had to arive on Saturday morning. This mysterious excursion earned Soph alot of ribbing, but we'll leave that alone!

Kate, Fiona, Elise, and Amber were all duly installed, as well as our wonderful friend and accountant Kathy de Palo. Kathy is a featured quilter in this month's Down Under Quilts, so watch out for a blog on that in coming days!

Now, the main problem with this group as I see it is that I am their teacher, but they all chose to do one of Kath's quilts, the pack of traitors. Only kidding, but with Kate doing Fanciful Flowers, Fiona doing Liberty Fields, Amber doing Girlfriends Galore, Sophie doing Stripping Vine and Elise doing Dorothy Grace, I think I can be forgiven for the comment! I'm going to retire now, I know when I'm not loved. :( Just kidding.

Everyone made amazing progress, with some standout achievements. Amber and Elise mastered inset piecing and diamonds, and Sophie learned to machine piece, having pieced and quilted her first quilt entirely by hand. Something tells me that after putting two blocks together in twenty minuites instead of sixty, she won't be going back either! Kate learned the value of careful cutting and accurate seams, and got her blocks together so beautifully we were all proud. Fiona pieced her Liberty Fields blocks together with her usual speed and neatness! And Kathy created some beautiful liberated blocks from a bundle of orange fabrics she's been hoarding for the purpose. We do need to let her know though that the block she lost never turned up, and we suspect that after several Cointreau's she may actually have pieced it to another one and cut it in half, and not lost it after all!

Much laughter and stitching, much drinking and eating of chocolate and then the girls were off again to Sydney, their three days over much too quickly. And Kath, Carolyn and I were left with a bonus 24 hours on our own before the next group arrived! You'd think we would have relaxed, but actually we sewed.... how did you guess? Group two tomorrow...... :) Sarah

Fiona's Liberty Fields blocks

Kath and Amber hard at work on night one

Kate's beautiful blocks and below, hard at work

Is sewing after dinner a good idea? We find out just how much wine you can consume and then sew a straight line

Amber triumphs over those inset seams

Kath gives Fiona a ruler demo

Sophie's Smashing Stripping Vine blocks

Kath and Amber put on their glasses for a little night time quilting!

Kath, Carolyn and Kathy "I Hate Having My Picture Taken" de Palo do the washing up

Elise with her completed and very funky Dorothy Grace quilt top

Kathy's slashed orange pieces, coming soon to a blog near you! We'll let you know when she's finished.

Morpeth Mach 1

2006-10-04T20:10:00.000+10:00

Oh where to begin.... having planned for so long for the MO retreat, hereafter called Quilt Camp, I can't believe it's over. Kath, Carolyn and I set off from the shop on Friday morning at 7.30am, determined to make a quick trip to Maitland, knock off the shopping and head to the house in time for the first group to arrive. After the Maitland stop, where we bought the largest load of chicken ever seen by man and very quickly downed some much needed coffee, we loaded all the groceries and chicken on top of Carolyn in the back seat and headed off towards Duns Creek.

Top View Farm is located on top of a mountain outside of Morpeth, with fabulous views of the valley below and surrounded by bushland and paddocks. Once we unloaded the car of the food mountain, enough fabric to make quilts for a small European nation and an afterthought bag of clothes, we set about getting the room ready for the first lot of campers.

Those of you who don't know Kathy will be unaware of her passion for moving furniture, but suffice to say there was alot of furniture to be moved, so I left her to it and went to hang some quilts on the front gate so no-one could get lost. This was a great idea until we realised that all the cars that kept stopping outside the gates were not actually full of quilters, but full of locals who were having a look at the impromptu airing of the quilts!

Eventually we were ready and waiting for the first group, who happened to be my Wednesday night girls made so famous on this very blog. Stay tuned for the next installment - and give me a break, I can get at least four more blogs out of this if I eke it out! ;) Sarah

Oh Bella Belle

2006-10-04T09:16:00.000+10:00

Just back from Morpeth, and what do we find waiting for us in the shop? Amy Butler's new range, Belle is in store, and is absolutely bella! As usual Amy has delivered on big bold graphics, funky retro colours, including the aqua blue everyone is so into right now, and to top it all off the fabric has a lovely soft hand that is great to work with. Retreat details are heading your way, but while you wait why not daydream about your Belle project? We have a selection from the colour palettes shown above for $27.50 per metre. So many possibilities...... :) Sarah

The madness in Morpeth - part 2

2006-09-29T12:37:00.000+10:00

Well...the retreat is almost over. The last group of girls have checked in and we will be back in Sydney on Sunday. What a week it has been! The way the retreat has worked is this - arrive after lunch on the first day, sew all afternoon, have dinner. Sew all the next day.....eat, drink and be merry, stay the night and leave before lunch on the third day. Several of the girls have taken the opportunity to do a Material Obsession kit that they need help with. Kathy and I have been doing demos and talks on things here and there. There will be so much to show and talk about. This will be the last addition to the blog till next Tuesday - we will need a day or so to load up everything for you all to see. It has been a great success...and we can't wait to do it again next year. Hold tight for all the news... :)

Woman known as Tokyo Rose dies at 90

2006-09-28T16:43:00.000+10:00

You might know that we have a quilt design called Tokyo Rose...Looking through the paper today I saw an article on the "real" Tokyo Rose who just passed away in Chicago..the infamous radio announcer during World War 2....spooky... (by the way, our quilt was inspired by all the beautiful Japanese florals from the shop) ... :)

From the Sydney Morning Herald Thu 28th September:
CHICAGO: Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who was convicted and later pardoned of being World War II propagandist Tokyo Rose, has died of natural causes.
She was 90.
Tokyo Rose was the name given by soldiers to a female radio broadcaster responsible for anti-American transmissions intended to demoralise soldiers fighting in the Pacific theatre.
D'Aquino was the only US citizen identified among the potential suspects.
In 1949, she became the seventh person to be convicted of treason in US history and served six years in prison. But doubts about her possible role as Tokyo Rose later surfaced and she was pardoned by president Gerald Ford in 1977.
D'Aquino was born in Los Angeles in 1916 to Japanese immigrant parents. She had recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was visiting relatives in Japan when she became trapped in the country at the beginning of World War II, according to a statement on Tuesday from the Toguri family.
She began working odd jobs to support herself while trying to escape back to the US. This included work on a Japanese propaganda radio show manned by Allied prisoners called Zero Hour, the statement said.
Using the name Orphan Ann, D'Aquino performed comedy skits and introduced newscasts.
On April 19, 1945, she married a Portuguese citizen of Japanese-Portuguese ancestry.
The FBI and the army conducted an extensive investigation to determine whether D'Aquino had committed crimes against the US. Authorities decided that the evidence then available did not merit prosecution, and she was released.
A subsequent public furore convinced the Justice Department that the matter should be re-examined and d'Aquino was arrested in Yokohama in 1945 and tried.
D'Aquino spent the years following her release from prison living quietly in Chicago.
Associated Press

Sauerkraut

2006-09-27T19:05:00.000+10:00

Another project just finished.. A quilt called Sauerkraut (click on the name to go to find out more on this traditional German recipe) made from gretchen blocks. After digging in my stash and some leftovers from the shop...and walla.. here it is - a different spin on a scrap quilt! I love the suble colour change across the quilt whilst using a consistent darker backround floral. Look out for it as another Material Obsession pattern. :)

Estrella returns

2006-09-26T20:42:00.000+10:00

Remember this quilt? There was such great feedback from the last time we showed it, we had to give it new life in a great new shot. It was conceived from Valori Well's fabric line, Estrella and designed and made by both of us. Well it is now back in the shop after being at Australian Quilters Companion . It appeared in Vol 19 and Vol 20 as a two part pattern. If you missed this, you should get some back copies. It is a fun and challenging project. Sarah traced over the outline of the large flower on the feature print, enlarged it and then used it for her applique template. We chose to use this method, combined with machine applique, Pigma pen detailing and curved piecing. :)

The surprise package quilt

2006-09-25T19:11:00.000+10:00

Well, here it is finally photographed. This is the antique quilt top that I found under the nylon quilt. Isn't it stunning! There are so many different styles of fabrics in this top - it is almost like a crazy quilt but in a block style. Not all the blocks are perfect and it will need some restoration but, it will be a pleasure to get this back to it's original condition. Remember you can see the full story and new pattern in Down Under Quilts, the Annual issue, due out in January, 2007. :)

The colour crystal ball for next season

2006-09-24T09:11:00.000+10:00

So what are the upcoming colour trends this fall in the USA? Here they are...and as what usually happens, is that Australia follows a season behind so you can start that favourite quilt project in the colours below ready for winter 2007. Happy quilting. :)

From "Fashion Colour Trends 2007Autumn 2006 Winter 2007"
By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com....

"As autumn 2006 settles down, colour fashion trends for fall 2006/7 reveal that warm earthen tones and natural materials gain appeal as women shop for new clothes.
The strongest colours in this palette are golds, reds and violas.
In autumn 2006 the colours for apparel are firmly in accord with nature. Traditional earthy tones with sun dried rich ochre and terracotta tones gain ground. Women's clothes the colour of pollen, honey, scorched gold, burnt earth and fox hues, meander amid a few livelier more shocking tones. Expect surprise with the jewel colours of purple and vibrant rich ruby red. Urban charcoal greys are enlivened with splashes of the brighter tones and look new because many materials have glazes.

With both greys and gold tones found in pebbles and stones so currently fashionable, either silver grey or golden metals make a good AW (Autumn Winter) 06/07 choice for jewellery or accessory trims. Golden sequins, paillettes and beads, shimmer and glimmer on fabrics that appear to look like molten gold and sheets of liquid glistening glass. Gold is one of the season's hottest looks. I'm sure you will find gold dresses and jackets in every autumn range.

For lovers of pinks good news, pink is still around, but it is either warmer becoming more coral/watermelon toned or more powdered and dustier toward heather/lilac. "

Ah..the smell of fresh Binga Bread

2006-09-22T15:34:00.000+10:00

Time for some fresh bread for the weekend....I was going through some recipe books to work out the menu for all the girls coming to the Material Obsession retreat next week and in an old book found the recipe for bread originally made by my mother-in-law. She helped run a camp called Mt Binga (north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) for students and made bread for them each morning. The recipe has made it into the Classic Country Cooking (Traditional Australian Fare) book by Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen who was the wife of an infamous state premier of Queensland, Australia. Her granddaughter attended the camp and learnt to make this bread. My husband swears by the bread (originally made in an old large wood fired oven on the farm) and said it was so heavy that you only needed one piece to fill you up but it tasted so good fresh out of the oven. Well here is it. Enjoy. :)

Ingredients:
38ml dry yeast (a medicine glass full)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 kg plain flour
500g fine wholemeal flour
500g coarse wholemeal flour

Combine yeast, 3/4 cup of warm water and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Mix and let stand until light and bubbly. Add to flour, then add 4 1/4 cups warm water and knead well. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm place to prove. When risen to double its original size, knead and shape into about 3 loaves. Cover with a cloth and prove again. Place in a pre-warmed, moderately hot oven (200-230 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

A Quilting Powerhouse

2006-09-21T20:47:00.000+10:00

I found a great website today while playing around the net.... the Powerhouse Museum's site (the Powerhouse is located here in Sydney, for you out of towners!) features amongst other things a collection of quilts owned by the museum. Not only can you scroll through over one hundred quilts of varying ages and themes, but you can also use the cool zoom feature to look closely at the quilts and examine the fabrics and quilting in detail. If you're in Sydney, the Powerhouse is a great visit on many levels, but if you're not or you just want a really up close and personal peek at their collection, this website is great fun to play with. Just click on the link below and have fun! Sarah

Powerhouse Museum Quilt Collection

Beautiful Music

2006-09-20T22:30:00.000+10:00

Not quilt related I know, but I just had to share with you the picture of my eldest, Charlie, singing tonight at the Willoughby Festival of Children's Music. The choir was made up of over 300 kids from nine different public schools in the area, and together they sang twelve different arranged songs including "When She Loved Me" and "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon". I think when they sang "True Blue" there wasn't a dry eye in the house, or maybe I just thought so because my eyes were so leaky everything looked waterlogged. The kids worked so hard on this performance and were so sweet and well behaved (and in tune!), and I was just so proud. Especially of the kids from Mowbray Primary, and my Charlie (the little blondie fifth from left in the front row), but then of course I am biased. Well done kids and Mrs Sarantis.

Oh, and I may have told a fib when I said it wasn't quilt related.... the Willoughby Town Hall boasts a set of fourteen (count them, FOURTEEN) amazing quilts, all hand stitched by quilters in the area for the Australian Bicentennial in 1988. The quilts all depict different aspects of Australian history. I was all ready to photograph them for you, but in my parental pride I took so much video on my digital camera that the battery ran out and so you are all left to wonder what they're like. I promise I'll try to drop in there one day soon and photograph them for you, they really are wonderful. Sorry! Sarah

Quilters Companion

2006-09-19T17:22:00.000+10:00

This month's Quilters Companion is a triumph! Their annual Great Australian Quilts issue is always something to look forward to, but editors Claire Mooney and Donna MacPherson have really done themselves proud with this one. Not only does it feature some of our favourite quilts and quilters, including Brigitte Giblin (her Couples Quilt is on the cover) and Judy Hooworth, but amongst other lovely projects it also has a fascinating article by quilt historian Annette Gero and a profile of another quilter we love, Kim McLean.

In amongst this exaulted company is a little creation you might remember, our quilt Crop Circles. I must admit I was looking rather more carefully at the piecing in the photo after I saw the level of talent in the issue!!

The issue is out now in newsagents, so run out and get a copy! If you're overseas and can't get your hands on one we can post you the issue, or you can order at this online magazine store. Sarah

ECHINO - bless you!

2006-09-18T19:41:00.000+10:00

No, Echino isn't a sneeze, it's a fabric! A beautiful, Japanese fabric from Etsuko Furuya.It arrived in the shop today,where it is glowing quietly from its place next to the quilt I made from the advance fabric. At $30 per metre it is a beautiful addition to your next quilt, and would make amazing bags, skirts, cushions, purses, book covers, curtains, potholders........ Shown below are the colourways we have in.

Blue Ladybugs Pink/Brown Trees and Birds Beige Birds and Spiders

Red Ladybirds Green Birds and Spiders Green and Purple Flowers

Orange Spot, Purple Spot Green Ladybirds Orange and Brown Birds

Blue and Plum Flowers Purple and Blue Ladybirds Beige and Plum Birds and Spiders

And here's the quilt I made, nice big bits for big results and maximum fabric show off-ability! If you, like us, can't live without some Echino, email materialobsession@ozemail.com.au or call 02 9817 2733 to order. Don't forget we mail order overseas as well as interstate, but please be aware that the fabric is a heavier weight than traditional patchwork fabric. As you can see though, that hasn't stopped me! Sarah

Sunny Afternoon

2006-09-17T17:23:00.000+10:00

For the first time since we moved into our house five years ago, the wisteria on the front porch has flowered beautifully for Spring. The front of the house is draped in purple lace, and the few green leaves that are already out have given the porch a lovely dappled afternoon sun. Today was such a pretty day, one child at a birthday party and the other playing with his dad, how could you not sit in the sun and read and stitch?

I managed to sew my way through a few parts of some applique blocks, and read about six chapters of the Yarn Harlot's book, The Secret Life of a Knitter.

If you haven't read this hysterical book you should, knitter or not. If you're not a wool nut like she is, just read along and substitute the word "fabric" for "yarn", and you should just about have a take on my patchwork fabric stash obsession. I think the Yarn Harlot and I would get along well. Does that mean I'm the Fabric Whore? Don't think I'll tell my husband about that one!! Next time you have a sunny afternoon gaping before you I personally don't think there's a better way to spend it. Happy quilting... Sarah :)

Cockadoodledoo!

2006-09-13T21:38:00.000+10:00

The latest quilt from the prolific factory that is Kathy..... this fabulous combo of the primitive rooster applique, wonderful wagon wheels and sweet little stars is Cockadoodledoo, just finished by Kath and beautifully shot by her husband, John, who is responsible for all our amazing photography. I especially love that perky little rooster medallion, who is very easily accomplished with iron on applique. Need a quilt for that country feeling in your life, or a project for Autumn all you girls on the other side of the world?? This is the one for you. To order the pattern or kit, email materialobsession@ozemail.com.au Happy quilting! Sarah

Surprise Package

2006-09-11T16:08:00.000+10:00

Remember this little number peeking out from the inside of a rayon quilt? Well I've finished my version and it's off to Down Under Quilts for their Annual issue, due out in January. Look out for the mag, which will include the Surprise package story, a picture of the original quilt and the pattern to make the quilt below and the original quilt. I had so much fun making this one!

Sarah :)

What a Weekend

2006-09-10T16:08:00.000+10:00

Well we're back... 33 Hunters Hill Quilters had a fantastic, silly, all singing all sewing weekend. The hotel in Terrigal was as usual lovely, the food was great and the company was absolutely the best there is. Nothing like a group of quilters to figure out how to get the most out of three days. Lots of work was done, producing some great starts and finishes..... here's one in progress from our friend Jan, who's been hand piecing all those little triangles -

- a pretty one by our clever accountant at MO, Kathy de Palo -

which was greatly admired by all, and of course there's always an audience when you're laying everything out and need an opinion!

Dinner the first night was very nice, two very long tables of girls awaited their dinner in the resturant, which was buffeted by one of the worst storms I've ever seen! The storm raged all weekend, but we figured it was just a good excuse to not have to go sightsee and sew instead.

Sewing Day 2 saw more stunners finished, including this little beauty from our good friend and MO employee, Sally -

Isn't that gorgeous? Love that Lotus fabric. Kath finished her black and red masterpiece which everyone thought was just beautiful -

And so did Kath. :)
We always dress for dinner on Saturday night, so the Material Obsession girls decided to go dressed as Kathy's quilt.

No, not really, but we certainly look like it don't we? For those of you who don't know us, from left is Kathy de Palo, Kath, me, and little blondie Sal on the end. This was our idea of dressing for dinner, but there were others with differing opinions.

Judith and June

The lovely Laurel

Audrey, Susie and Felicity

The patchwork angels gave out fat quarters to the girls while we had our drinks, and spent the rest of the evening poking everyone with their wing tips and having their halos tipped at increasingly rakish angles. Kath and I of course rose above all this silliness and set the stardard of decorum and elegance.

We are pictured here wearing the necklaces the girls gave us for organising the games and donating the prizes for the weekend. Aren't they nice? Thanks girls!
Of course, once the dinner party is over, the weekend is all downhill and quickly degenerates into downright silliness.

So what was I working on all this while? Well I have been busy finishing the applique on a wedding quilt for my brother and his lovely fiance, which is nearly done, and I pieced all the borders! Should be done by the end of the week, I'll let you know. Sarah

PS. A final word of thanks to our special, wonderful friend Judith, who as usual made the weekend hilarious, happy and a whole lot of fun. wE LOVE YOU jUDE !! xxxxx

Swamp Thing

2006-09-07T20:10:00.000+10:00

I've been playing with the Field Study Glimmer (otherwise known as the Swamp fabric)..... this fabric is so beautiful and the colours so soft and subtle, you can really let your imagination run wild. I really wanted to do some foundation piecing and combine it with some applique..... I don't exactly know where this is going as of yet, but it's fun working it out! It's a start anyway, stay tuned, and hurry up if you want some of this lovely line, it is selling out FAST in the shop.

Foundation pieced lily pad

Foundation pieced leaf floating in the water

Fish block, which I've always wanted to incorporate into something!

Everything thus far, still working on it!

Kathy and I are off to Terrigal outside Sydney for the Hunters Hill Quilters retreat tomorrow, we will blog you all with some photos of what we get up to on Sunday night. Have a good weekend everybody :) Sarah

Funky Funky Monkey

2006-09-06T19:30:00.000+10:00

Kath has finished her Funky Monkey quilt, isn't it cool? A fantastic mix of Funky Monkey by Moda, Girlfriend and some other fun stuff from the stash to shake thing up a bit in the monkey house. The houses and Log Cabins are made with rulers, so they're quick and easy to cut and piece. How many monkeys jumping on the bed in your house tonight? Kits and rulers available now!

Blink and You'll Miss It!

2006-09-03T21:00:00.000+10:00

Yep, blink and you'll miss it.... Girlfriends Galore is almost sold out in it's original and beautiful form. Girlfriends fabrics have been so popular that we now have only three kits for Girlfriends Galore left in the original fabrics. The kit contains all the fabric for the king single sized top, the kaleidescope ruler used to make the triangles and diamonds, and the pattern for $250 AUS. Get in quick, order one of the last three kits and we will post free of charge within Australia. To order you can email materialobsession@ozemail.com.au or call the shop on 02 9817 2733. Don't forget international customers, we are happy to post overseas for you too!

Happy quilting...... Sarah

The Truth is Out There

2006-08-31T19:55:00.000+10:00

No, it's not an episode of the X-Files, it's an aerial shot of crop circles....kind of looks like lots of green fabrics, maybe some of those beautiful rich Kaffe Fassetts and Colour Rythmn greens we've had in... like this?

It's a new MO quilt, Crop Circles, for Quilter's Companion's Great Australian Quilts edition due out soon. Strange and unexplained resemblance, don't you think Scully? Kits available! Sarah

Fun Links

2006-08-30T20:12:00.000+10:00

Gina at Quilters Buzz recently posted this list of excellent blogs from a crafty friend who has become blog-addicted. I have to say that after touring extensively around them all I'm just a bit blog-addicted myself! Check them out, not only is my personal fav. Wee Wonderfuls included but some other great ones as well.

Wee Wonderfuls
Posie Gets Cozy
Whimsy
Pink Chalk Studio
Elisalou Designs
I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can
Yarn Harlot
Angry Chicken

And while I'm at it, I'll add some blog/site recommendations of my own....

Design Sponge
Whip Up
Fun Quilts
Denyse Schmidt

and that should keep you all busy for a while! It amazes me every time I go further into the "blog world" how connected the community of bloggers is, and how they all inspire each other with their ideas, stories and designs, and most of all just how many talented and inspiring people there are out there in the world. Don't forget to comment on anything you see that you like, the best thing about having a blog is reading the comments from like minded visitors! Happy blogging.

Bursting...

2006-08-29T08:47:00.000+10:00

Material ObsessionI come from a land of winters full of snow, ice, pink noses... and central heating. Winter in Sydney is mild in comparison but I have never gotten used to being the same temperature in the shower as I am outside. I hibernate all winter and quilt to stay warm under one project after another.
So...when the first signs of spring literally burst overnight it is always a thrill that can't go without a celebration. The earth parties in it's own way as evidenced by the snowbells and daffodils someone planted in our grass a long time ago. They pop up and declare that the time of the warming breeze is delightfully near. I finished a pinwheel quilt in 1930's graphics and floral prints this weekend. It signals the approach of the bluest skies as a backdrop for the pinkest pinks, lavenders and yellows of September.
We got acrylic templates for this fun wagon wheel pattern made which are available for $15 at the shop. It is a super fun project with a touch of hand applique and much easier than it looks. The borders are vintage Sanderson, a gift from my friend Kathy who was visiting from the States a few years back. I have been lovingly saving it for just the right moment and this is it...and so was the skirt I made with it and the bag....still more to come.
So, take a deep breath and enjoy the freshness! kathy

Another Amazing First Quilt

2006-08-27T21:01:00.000+10:00

What a lovely email we got yesterday from Saffron, who has just finished her first quilt for her daughter, using fabric she bought at Material Obsession. She sent us the pics for you all to enjoy, and what a great job she did. Congrats Saffron, and enjoy making the next one! Don't forget to send us a photo of your finished quilt, and we will do our best to get it up on the blog for you. Happy quilting! Sarah

Little House in the Big Woods

2006-08-24T19:10:00.000+10:00

Or at least, Dove in the cabin Window. When I was a little girl, like every other little girl I read the Little House series, in which Laura Ingalls has many escapades as the daughter of an American pioneer. Amongst many other things Laura also hand pieces a Dove in the Window quilt with her Ma and her sisters in front of the fire. Whe I was a little girl, my greatest wish was to make a Dove in the Window quilt of my very own.
My Mum was a beautiful quilter, who taught me how to quilt. Over the years I've looked for and found many different versions of a Dove in the Window block, but there seem to be so many that I wasn't sure which one Laura had been making, or how to go about finding out.
Silly me, if I had just thought of the internet (durr....), I would have found out ages ago. But it wasn't until last week I decided to Google Laura Ingalls Wilder, and happened upon the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home website, the museum of Laura's actual house in Missouri. I excitedly scrolled through all the Laura pens and book sets for sale and found......

....a pattern for the Dove in the Window quilt that Laura made in the late 1800's. I just about cried. I was so excited I immediately wrote an email to the cuator of the museum telling her how blown away I was, and ordering the pattern. Apparently I'm not the only one! She gets at least one email a day from people who have discovered the website and want to visit the house.
A week passed, and the pattern duly arrived in the mail, and the amazing thing about it was....

.....in my sewing room was this book by patchwork legend Ruby Short McKim, who was writing patchwork patterns when Grandma was a girl, and apparently had a liking for traditional old blocks. This book was first published in 1931, and contains a Dove in the Window pattern which I had just decided was probably the one Laura made, if only because it was quite detailed and old fashioned. So I had already begun this.....

...which is the exact block, from the exact same page of Ruby Short McKim's book that the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum posted me! A long and winding story, but you can now all be assured that my Dove in the Window quilt is finally underway after 28 years and I'll keep you updated on its progress. Happy Quilting! Sarah

Happy Birthday Down Under

2006-08-23T22:33:00.000+10:00

Down Under Quilts is celebrating it's 100th birthday, and the stunning 100th issue is out soon in newsagents. The lovely quilt on the cover, above, is made by our friend Erica Spinks, who also happens to be the DUQ editor! Featured are quilts by past editors, some terriffic projects by quilters from all over Australia, including Liberty Fields by our very own Kathy Doughty!

Also featured is a story about Wagga quilts, including the one below by our very talented accountant, Kathy de Palo......................and City Windows, by me!
This really is a gorgeous issue, you should pick up a copy and have a good look, we think it's great. Well done Erica and the DUQ quilts team, and Happy Birthday! Sarah

Fanciful Flowers

2006-08-22T19:40:00.000+10:00

Remember the block we showed you a few months ago, using Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy fabrics? Well here it is, all finished, photographed and ready for the magazine. Unfortunately the pattern won't be out in Quilter's Companion until November, but all of you get a special sneak peak! Don't forget, if you want a kit for this quilt, you need to order it NOW because by the time the mag comes out we will be out of quite a few of these gorgeous fabrics. Send us an email or call the shop for details! Sarah

Fluffy Strawberries

2006-08-21T20:46:00.000+10:00

This is Kate Breslin, on of our Monday girls, with her version of MO pattern Fluffy Stars. Kate's made this quilt for her 8 year old daughter, and used the most gorgeous Japanese strawberry linen that we have in stock for the star centres. A slightly more feminine take on the original, below, which belongs to my 6 year old son, Oscar. Pretty pretty.....

Fluffy Stars Mach 1.......
Also, just a quick message for all the people who have contacted us about Brigitte Giblin, Sue Cody and Karen Cunningham's quilt patterns.... sorry but they don't sell their patterns outside of their classes at this point, but if this situation changes we'll let you know! Sarah :)

Wee Wonderfuls

2006-08-20T19:53:00.000+10:00

Look what I whipped up today!! Blogging around the place I happened upon this fantastic website, www.weewonderfuls.com where the very talented Hillary Lang is making her wonderful, whimsical dolls and animals. I couldn't resist and ordered myself a pattern, which arrived on Friday.... Kitty and Bunny are in the works, but here's Bear for your entertainment. You should all check out Hillary's site, it is really fun and there are some great free patterns to download too. I used our wool line for the body, and a Kaffe Fassett print for the dress. Bear is on her way to a friend's baby, and Kitty is for my god-daughter..... maybe Bunny might be for me! Sarah

The Promise of Joy

2006-08-17T18:09:00.000+10:00

Material Obsession We have two terms that signal important deliveries which some of you may know. The fabric dance today was quickly followed by the promise of joy which is a term I use to describe a pile of new fabric begging to be cut up. Today this promise came in several boxes of Bohemia n and Field Study Glimmer: two gorgeous lines that can only mean exciting projects to follow. Bohemian is a delicious new color palette with divine graphic movement that takes us back in time to days of writers and artists, gypsies and the unconventional from all fields... Field Study Glimmer shimmers with wetland images that splinter the sunlight on the catfish and cattails (bullrushes to some), swans and dragonflies.

The lovely Sheena helped get the range on the wall exclaiming the whole time "Isn't this one lovely....oh look at this one..." I don't know who is going to get any work done until some of this is cut up and sewn back together. I do know Sarah has her Field Study Glimmer design done already and it's a stunner....we'll keep you posted on how the joy unveils. kathy

Star of the Night

2006-08-15T22:17:00.000+10:00

Material ObsessionThe Tuesday class was as per usual full of stars but our Saturday Sally (Hamming it up in the photo)hit the bright spot with her version of Rocket Man upsized to a king single for her son. This quilt is super nova fun to make and uses up heaps of bright scraps. Check it out...er space! k

Madness in Morpeth

2006-08-14T20:11:00.000+10:00

OK girls, we're getting to the business end of our retreat to Morpeth. With the trip under five weeks away, we are looking to fill the last few spots and lock in our guest list! If you're interested in three days away, quilting, laughing and eating chocolate, then give us a bell in the shop right away and you could be one of our final guests. We have girls coming from all over the country, which we're really excited about! Dates still available are:

Friday, September 22 - Sunday, September 24 - Booked out
Monday, September 25 - Wednesday, September 27 - 1 space
Wednesday, September 27 - Friday, September 29 - 4 to 6 spaces
Friday, September 29 - Sunday, September 1 - 2 spaces

The way the retreat works is this - arrive after lunch on the first day, sew all afternoon, have dinner. Sew all the next day.....eat, drink and be merry, stay the night and leave before lunch on the third day. Several of the girls are taking the opportunity to do a Material Obsession kit that they need help with, and others are simply bringing projects they're working on. Kathy and I will be doing demos and talks on things here and there, and we have some fun games planned as well.
Two nights accomodation, food and Kath and me (obviously the most important part - not!!) will set you back $350, or $320 if you have a friend to share a room with. If this sounds like you, give us a call and book now before those spots run out! S.

Thank You

2006-08-14T08:06:00.000+10:00

Hi everybody, we just wanted to drop all of you a line to say a BIG thank you to everyone who participated in our sale over the last week. We know that times are tight... petrol is high, interest rates are up and wallets are disturbingly thin, and we really appreciate the overwhelming response we have had from our wonderful customers, both in the shop and through mail order.
While we're at it, thanks to all of you who support us in so many ways - our regulars, our students and all those mad creatures out there reading our blog at 3am on a Sunday. We love getting your comments, your emails, and best of all the pics of your quilts that sometimes float in from afar. Keep it up, and Thanks Again! Sarah and Kath

Ellen the Hand Maiden

2006-08-11T19:00:00.000+10:00

A student of ours, Ellen Myer, recently expressed a wish to make some hexagons. Being a hand piecer at heart, we knew she would take to hexagons with a vengance, and I think you'll agree she has! This top is entirely hand pieced and appliqued, and Ellen is just in the process of appliquing the remaining hexagons around the border. It is Ellen's fifth quilt in two years, and every stitch in every quilt is done by hand. She doesn't even own a sewing machine, so we sew the binding down for her, and she sews it to the back. The quilt contains just about everything in her stash. The surrounding background fabric is a Kaffe Fassett, the wonderful border strip is one of a colour series, and both are available in the shop. Well done on yet another amazing creation Ellen!

Sue Cody at Material Obsession

2006-08-09T19:03:00.000+10:00

If you think the quilt above is just too gorgeous like we do, you might want to give the shop a call and book a spot in Sue Cody's class, starting in October of this year. This once monthly class will include any of the talented Sue's quilts, including the ones above, below and many others. Those of you who know of Sue will be aware of her fifteen year plus history of teaching her wonderful quilts in and around Sydney, and of her reknown as an Australian quilter of note.

This stunner is quilt-as-you-go, believe it or not. The front is shown above, and the equally lovely back is below.
To see a full complement of these beautiful creations, pop in to the shop and the girls will be only too happy to show you what Sue has been up to. There are VERY limited places, so if you are in Sydney (once a month!) and think this is right up your alley, call us now or you may miss out. Especially since Kath and I have our eyes on a few of the patterns ourselves! S.

couples quilt

2006-08-07T20:40:00.000+10:00

Material Obsession
It's a Couples Thing!
One Thursday a month Brigitte Giblin arrives at Material Obsession with a suitcase full of fabulous, quirky tops and quilts made with her French flair. She has a natural style with colour that is at once captivating. Whenever possible I sit in to learn a bit about applique and to absorb a bit of her interpretation of antique quilts. The Couples Quilt (loosely interpreted with love) pictured here is a result of these classes. It's still a work in progress but one I have to admit is growing on me as one of my all time favorites. Stay tuned for more on the quilts being done by the others in the class next month. k

Oh my Heavens, We're on SALE!!

2006-08-03T20:11:00.000+10:00

SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE

Oh yes, we are on SALE starting Monday, August 7. All merchandise (excludes $10 wall, includes kits and patterns) is 15% off, to all customers.
If you are in a quilt group, wear or bring your group or Guild badge to recieve 25% off all merchandise in the shop, INCLUDING Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, Girlfriend and all your favourites.
Make sure you check on our daily specials, you never know what might discounted even further on any given day. We will post the next day's specials on the blog each night, so watch this space for updates!
If you are an internet/ mail order customer, recieve FREE POSTAGE on all sale orders over $100. Sale continues until and including Saturday, August 12.

SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE

Tuesday's Class

2006-08-02T17:20:00.000+10:00

The gals in the Tuesday night class have been keeping their fingers busy and here's proof. The shy ones were hiding but I'll get them next week! First we have Kate perle cotton quilting on a quilt top from her pile of quilt tops which I am starting to think is very large...
Rachel fastidiously fussy cut a Jane Sassaman quilt design. When it was finished (finally) she had Kim quilt it with large butterflies which she is now embellishing with a variety of perle cotton colours which look fantastic! Rachel also had a go with the new Marti Michelle Log Cabin ruler and made a very sweet kid's quilt. Very square even if you see it sideways!
Nicole, affectionately known as "Grasshopper", hand pieced every stitich of this fabulous version of Kaffe Fassett's Courthouse Steps. We tried to get her to use a machine for the binding but she insisted there was no hurry as she was "enjoying the journey". Well done, hard to believe it was her first quilt! Good work girls, K

Fishy Fishy Fishy

2006-08-01T19:19:00.000+10:00

Sarah and Kathy are doing a Row by Row challenge with the Hunters Hill Quilters at the moment. For those of you who don't know, Row by Row is a round robin where you make a strip of blocks or applique with a theme, put it in a bag, and the bag is then swapped with other members of the group six times until you eventually recieve your original row back, along with six other rows of the same size made to your theme. Meanwhile, you work on six other member's rows in turn. We thought we'd share with you Sarah's addition to the Row by Row... the bag she recieved had a row of cats appliqued on it, so she has added a little Denyse Schmidt fish skeleton for the cats to feast on. Yum, yum! We'll show you some others as we go along, and also the rows Sarah and Kath recieve back!

Perky Plates

2006-07-31T17:38:00.000+10:00

Just showing you where Sarah is at with the little pile of fabrics we showed you a few blogs ago.... Dresden plates and lots of sparky, bright fabrics. Having lots of fun with the Dresden Wedge ruler and all those lovely colours.... will keep you updated on progress. Happy quilting!

One more thing

2006-07-29T16:39:00.001+10:00

Kathy here... I think I was a bit premature in stating I had learned how to use the camera and computer as exhibited by posting two photos of my studio space below...however, while I'm at it, one more thing about machine quilting.
As most of you know, Sarah and I are avid fans of perle cotton quilting. We use perle 8 with embroidery needles to make big decorative stitches. We use a variety of colours or one colour, traditional patterns or modern all over swirls or even picture images derived from the fabrics when quilting our quilts. Lately, we have seen a huge increase in our machine quilting service through the shop. Kim Bradley, our machine quilter extraordinaire, is very creative and willing to enlarge the continuous patterns so that it is possible to embellish the machine stitching with the vibrant colours available in the perle cottons. Once the quilting is complete you can bind the quilt and add to it whenever you are in the mood!
Kim is also providing a basting service which is very popular. Quilt tops with backing and wadding are sent off and come back basted every 4-5 inches. No more sore knees from crawling around on the floor basting or pinning quilts. Rember the backing and wadding must be a full 4" or 10cm wider than the top on all sides. More about Kim later.

Studio Space

2006-07-29T16:01:00.000+10:00

The other day I was visiting Quilters Buzz and saw the most beautiful sewing room in duck egg blue with lovely pink boxes and tidy little spaces opening out into a garden. Sigh. In case any of you saw this I share with you my space just in case you need to feel better about yours....beware, I have learned how to use the camera/computer myself...very scary.

Star Gaze with a Spin

2006-07-26T22:41:00.000+10:00

It's Wednesday again and once again the talented girls in Sarah's Wednesday night class have come up with the goods..... here's a spicy little number that Fiona put together, a variation on Kathy's award winning Star Gaze pattern. Don't you just love the tiny sashing? And nothing's better than a combo of Amy and Kaffe, two of Fiona's (and our!) personal favourites.

Wagga Progress

2006-07-23T19:46:00.000+10:00

Remember a few weeks ago when we told you about Sarah's Wagga class? Well here's an update on how some of the girls are going - amazing progress don't you think? It never ceases to amaze us how different and individual these quilts are, and all coming from the same class. Keep it up girls, you're going like a train!

Ruby Tuesday

2006-07-20T22:38:00.000+10:00

You all had so much fun with our alternate colourway for Oh! Olivia the other day, we thought we'd show you what our student Amber has done with another MO pattern - this time Ruby Tuesday. A great example of a fun and really simple pattern that comes up well in any fabric combo you can dream up. Amber's quilt is shown above and the original below.

What's Old is New!

2006-07-19T19:24:00.000+10:00

If you've had the chance to pop into the shop this year on a Thursday you would have met Sheena Chapman. Not only does she hold down the fort while we go to our quilt group but she also brings an enticing array of hand picked vintage quilt tops, orphan blocks and trinkets. The old world charm is instantly engaging and we have been inspired by her creative use of these treasures in her own design quilts, table cloths, cushions and jewelry. Feel free to stop in and check it out very Thursday and keep your eye on the blog for more images of her work.
In addition to seeing the collection at the shop she is having a big sale day on the 12th August from 10am-1pm August from 10am-1pm at a separate location.
If you have any queries ring the shop 0298172733 or contact Sheena directly at 9499 7289 or shechapman@hotmail.com

That's great, Kate

2006-07-18T19:04:00.000+10:00

Quick pic of a quilt Kate from Sarah's Wednesday night class just whipped up. What a top boys quilt for the little or big boy in your life.

Funky Monkeys in the House!

2006-07-17T17:12:00.000+10:00

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed, one jumped off and bumped his head! Called up the quilt shop and the quilt shop said -

something that rhymes with bed, anyway. Get your hands on some of this FABULOUS fabric from Moda, Funky Monkeys. We love the little monkeys, spots and especially the textured sock monkey print, which is cotton even though it looks like jersey! Shown above are the fabrics we have in stock and shown below is the beginning of a fantastic little quilt Kathy is making - day and night in the monkey house. It combines the monkey fabrics with the Marti Michell school house ruler set. Keep your eyes on the blog for the finished quilt pattern and kit, and have monkeys jumping on your beds in no time!

Life is like a box of chocolates

2006-07-17T11:50:00.000+10:00

Sarah was cleaning up the sewing room over the weekend....not much fun but a job that had to be done..it is amazing how much fabric you find in your stash....also all the UFOs. Here is one that was almost finished - the binding just had to be added. Sarah thinks it has been hidden in there all year. So off she goes to finish it off - it is called "Life is like a box of chocolates" and she has used a variety of primary colours (pinks, browns, greens, reds, purples) with a variety of embroidery styles including buttons and beads and quilting.

Refreshing Backing Fabrics

2006-07-13T20:33:00.000+10:00

Take a look at these beautiful new backing fabrics, fresh in. There are seven in all, and all seven are 108" wide so you don't have to join for a KING SIZED quilt! They are $39 per metre, which works out very reasonably when you consider that you are only buying one drop - and you don't have to join! Oh, and did we mention you don't have to join? Happy quilting.....

Oh Olivia! What a Colour Change.

2006-07-12T22:24:00.000+10:00

Sarah here... I thought I'd show you a picture of what clever Fiona in my Wednesday night class is up to. She has decided to make a cot quilt to be auctioned off for a charity she works for, and she picked our Oh! Olivia pattern as her starting point. What a difference a fabric makes! Shown above is her version using Prints Charming bubble fabric, some Flea Market Fancy and some Prism fabrics for a fun, spacy take on a quick and easy pattern. Compare the pair....

PS... Thank you so much to my friend Amber, who made our Wednesday class festive tonight by bringing champagne and nibbles for my birthday. What a cheer up!

World of Colour

2006-07-09T18:58:00.000+10:00

Just fiddling around... pulling things out of the stash for a new project. Colour and colour and colour. A bit of Kaffe, a bit of Sis Boom, some Denyse Schmidt, Jane Sassaman, even some 1930's Aunt Grace. Choosing from about 40 different fabrics for four basic colourways, pink, green, blue and orange. Love that blue spot!! Time to sew.....

Material Obsession Retreat Dates

2006-07-06T19:57:00.000+10:00

We promised more details, and here they are. The very first MO retreat in beautiful Morpeth, NSW, about an hour and a half north of Sydney. The dates are as follows, you can choose which set of days you want to come;

Fri 22nd, 23rd, 24th Sept - booked out! Sorry....
Mon 25th, 26th, 27th Sept - 4 places left
Wed 27th, 28th, 29th Sept - 6 places left
Fri 29th, 3oth, Oct 1 - 4 places left

The accomodation is at our friend Carolyn's house, just outside of Morpeth. The house has four bedrooms, one of which sleeps three. If you are coming with friends and don't mind sharing, (seperate beds of course!) you will get a discount on your room rate. People sharing a room will determine how many people are in each three day slot, obviously if no one wants to share there will be four students, six if there are carers and sharers.
Two and a half days in a single room is $350 ($320 in a shared room), this includes dinner on Day 1, all meals Day 2 and breakfast on Day 3, your accomodation and me and Kathy! (The latter obviously being the most valuable! :) )We are planning some fun demos and games, a big dinner and lots of great company! Basically the retreat will involve lots of your own sewing, we are there to guide you and several of the girls who have booked already are doing MO kits they want help with, so that we are there as they go along. If you like that idea you can email or call the shop and we can discuss what you might like to do, colours etc and we can bring your fabric cut and ready to go.
We'd love to have you, so get in fast if you want to come. There is a $150 non-refundable deposit to book, you can call or email your credit card or pay by cheque. Looking forward to meeting some of our online friends!

Surprise Package

2006-07-04T21:19:00.000+10:00

Yesterday morning, the postman banged on the door very early, with a package. Inside was a quilt Sarah bought from the US about two months ago, for $9.95. The description of the quilt was of a "vintage" (read, 1970's!!) silk (read "rayon"!!) quilt, in good condition (again, taken with a grain of salt), possibly lined with another quilt. That possibly was enough for Sarah to shell out her $9.95 and have the quilt shipped to Sydney, in the hope that what was inside was the gold.
Shown below is the quilt as it arrived, very '60's or '70's, not that there's anything wrong with that.

The top was hand pieced with large stitches, and then sewn down onto a green surround, which was put over the inner quilt like a bag. The lining of the quilt was a little ripped, and when Sarah took it back further and saw this, she knew she had spent her $9.95 wisely.

Closer inspection and a few hours of careful unpicking later, Sarah uncovered a Nosegay quilt, hand pieced and hand quilted, which contains lots of lovely feedsack fabic and looks to be about circa 1920's or 30's. The quilt is a little worse for wear, but hey, so would you be if you had spent the last 40 years encased in a rayon sack.

And another surprise - Sarah's husband, bedridden at present due to a back operation. He's usually the driving force behind the blog (ie, forces us to write the blog!!), but this time he's managed a look in. Revenge for the purple fluffy slipper pic he posted a month ago.

Look out for the pattern for this lovely surprise in coming months. Now Sarah's uncovered this little beauty, it seems fitting that it makes a comeback in the form of a Material Obsession "Vintage" pattern. Keep on quilting!

Which MO quilt design is this?

2006-07-03T20:34:00.000+10:00

We have had a rash of these quilts made in classes of late! For all those who don't know which design it is, you can view the original quilt by clicking here. These are some more examples of some of our students using their own colour creativity with one of our patterns and fabrics from the shop. Just a few ideas to show you how changing the colour recipe of a quilt can make a bought pattern your own!

Blogging in the USA

2006-06-30T19:30:00.000+10:00

The blog today takes you to the USA. We are guest bloggers for Quilters Buzz , giving our thoughts on the recent Sydney show, so click through and have a look. We will be blogged over two days. Quilters Buzz is a great site to get more quilting inspiration from the other side of the world, we often check it out to see what's going on.

More Fabulous Fabrics Just In

2006-06-28T14:13:00.000+10:00

Another fun day at Material Obsession with a new fabric delivery just in. It is just like opening a box of mystery chocolates - you never know what's inside but it's all delicious. This latest lot includes: brand new 1930's - excellent graphic prints and very different florals (pic 1 and 2) , fabulous new Civil War repros with a funky twist from Wyndam Fabrics (pic 3), a great range of black, cream and red that are really different from any we've had before (pic 4), and lovely subtle and soft blue and whites for an antique feeling (pic 5). Prices range from AUS$24 to AUS$26.50 per metre. Get planning! Come on in, give us a call or email your mail orders.

A Long Yarn Between Quilts

2006-06-27T10:44:00.000+10:00

At the Sydney Quilt Show, Sarah and Kathy came across a colourful range of hand dyed wools from an Australian company called Kaalund Yarns - as they say "inspired by the diverse Australian landscape, Kaalund Yarns brings to life yarn for the discerning hand knitter, embroiderer, and textile artist. Silk and wool in plain and fancy spins are the chosen yarns for the year. Hand dyed in Australia in 25 colours that range from the reds of the desert, the greens of the eucalypt to the blues of the sea, a full colour spectrum is available". Sarah was so inspired by the colours she knitted a new scarf from their "Nimbus" wool (while she was taking a break from quilting). Here is the scarf modelled by the beautiful Madam, shown here very comfortable in her bed with her own special quilt to keep her warm. Sarah is also itching to try out the 100% cultivated silk thread she bought (the "Enchante" range) to hand quilt with. Have a look at the Rainforest colourway...yum, yum. Back to the rotary board.....

Rules for Rulers

2006-06-25T14:41:00.000+10:00

Kathy recently attended a workshop with Marti Michell, notable for many things quilty but most famously for being the first person to put the concept of rotary cutters and perspex rulers together. Since she made this great discovery, Marti has over the years developed her own range of perspex rulers of every shape and size for just about every quilt block you can imagine. Kath found her workshop very inspiring and informative, expecially because Kath herself is a big user of all rulers great and small. We stock both a range of Marti's rulers and some Creative Grids rulers in the shop, and we absolutely swear by the method for quickly getting amazingly accurate triangles, diamonds etc by rotary. Shown above are Creative Grids half square triangle ruler, 60 degree triangle ruler, and below a few of our kits and patterns made using rulers, from half square to 60 degree to kaleidoscope. Look out for information about Kathy's new workshops on using rulers in the coming weeks.

Inspiration from the Sydney show

2006-06-21T10:25:00.000+10:00

Well the Sydney Show has finally finished, and what a time we had. There was so much to see and do. When we had a short break at the stall, we were able to tour around and see all the wonderful quilts being displayed. There were over 300 on display in the Guild area, with over 90 new entrants - a record number. The Japanese exhibition was simply AMAZING, if the show is coming to your state we highly recommend you go just to see these wonderful works of art.
It really shows that quilting is alive and well Down Under. The Quilting Guild of NSW has displayed all the winning quilts in their website. You can view them all at http://www.quiltersguildnsw.com/festival.html
We also picked out some other quilts we loved for you to see. Have a look at these for a showcase of talent.
Look out for future blogs for further show specials, and for everyone who's been asking, the retreat details will be posted SOON!! ...happy quilting.

Put your feet up and have a glass of wine. You deserve it.

2006-06-16T19:24:00.000+10:00

For all those people who have been trudging the halls of the Sydney Quilt Fair. Tonight, sit back, put your feet up and have a glass of wine. You deserve it. We have watched you all walk back and forth, round and round all day, at the largest fair in the southern hemisphere - hopefully you have left inspired with great new projects. If you haven't gone yet, there are still two days to go. There has been so much to see and do. Well, we have put a little show on for you. All the way from Cairo and Brazil - here are there latest fashions. Some inspirational colours, fabrics and designs. (And for all those you can't make Sydney, hold tight, we will have a wrap up at the end of the show.) Happy quilting!

Doughty Boys on Fire

2006-06-14T19:55:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was the official opening of the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair, and what a busy day it was. Kathy and Sarah started the day at the official show opening, at which the show was opened by Judy Hooworth, speeches were given and prizes were awarded. Material Obsession awarded two prizes in the Junior Member (13 to 18 years old) section, but our most exciting news was that not only did Kathy's two boys, Sam (age 10) and Noah (age 12) piece their own quilts to enter AND hand quilt them (!!), but Sam also won second prize in the Junior Member (up to 12 years old) section. As you can imagine, his quite teary mother was very proud, and Sarah will admit to having a few blurry moments of her own. Congratulations to both Sam and Noah on having the dedication and patience to complete their quilts so beautifully... we look forward to the next ones.
Pictured is Sam and his quilt, "Sam I Am". (plus some more great shots of our stall at the show courtesy of John Doughty, Kathy's husband)

Let the Show Begin

2006-06-13T20:18:00.000+10:00

We've been working hard all day setting up the stall, decorating the walls, prettying up the kits, stacking the fabrics. So now all that's left is for all of you to descend upon us tomorrow morning! We think the stall looks great, but then we are a little bit biased :) Look out for news on winning quilts tomorrow night. And now, sleep tight and tommorow - let the show begin!

Field Study Fabrics

2006-06-10T20:48:00.000+10:00

While we're working hard at Darling Harbour you can all think about your next project in this fabulous fabric... we both will be! When we arrive back in the shop from the Fair the new Field Study Glimmer fabrics from Free Spirit will be waiting for us. This amazing line is about as different as we've seen, and is sure to inspire some beautiful quilts, bags, skirts, cushions..... this fabric is good for just about anything, so get your thinking caps on and dream about what you'll use it for. We love those hexagons and fishes the best, there's a quilt waiting in there for sure!

Eat My Shorts

2006-06-08T20:25:00.000+10:00

Attention all you quilters out there, my husband has taken over the blog and is the method in the madness that is Material Obsession.... we are being held to ransom..... every night when I sit down to drink my wine and quilt my quilt in the post children peace, out comes the lap top and the fateful words.... Have you done the blog??? To appease the beast, tonight Sarah brings you his favourite receipe, just right to build your strength up before your big day out at the Sydney Fair next week......

Damo's Favourite Osso Buco

90g butter
2 medium carrots, chopped finely
2 large brown onions, chopped finely
3 celery sticks, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
16 pieces veal or beef osso buco
plain flour
2 tbl olive oil
820g tinned tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 3/4 cup beef stock
1 tbl fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp grated lemon rind

Heat 1/3 of the butter in a large pan and cook the carrot, onion, celery and half the garlic until the onion is golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer the vegies to an oven proof dish. Coat the osso buco with flour and shake off the excess. Heat the remaining butter and the oil in the pan and brown each side of the osso buco in batches. Remove the osso buco from the pan and place on top of the vegies. Drain the fat from the pan and add tomatoes, wine, stock, basil, thyme and bay leaf, and bring to the boil. Pour the sauce over the meat and cook, covered in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours. To serve, sprinkle with combined garlic, parsley and lemon rind. Good with rice, polenta or mashed potato on a cold winter night.

Apologies to those of you in American and European summer! It's really cold in Sydney at the moment, we all need thawing out. And now that the Blog Beast is appeased, my wine awaits. Night!

Off to the Sydney show

2006-06-07T09:40:00.000+10:00

The Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair at Darling Harbour is next week so we are busy getting ourselves ready. Just like last year (shown above), you can find us at stand E28, this year with a fabulous new look and heaps to see. We will have fresh new fabrics and new patterns for all you quilters (and would be quilters!) out there.
Remember our shop in Hunters Hill will be closed while we are at the show, from Monday June 12 until and including Monday, June 19, and will re-open Tuesday June 20. We will still answer any questions you have via email, but any orders during this time will be filled after June 20.

Don't forget Kathy and Sarah will also be exhibiting in the Quilters Guild of NSW show, which runs in conjunction with the Fair. We both have two quilts in the show, all four of which are available as patterns or kits from the stand! Nothing like a marketing opportunity..... so look out for Liberty Fields, Charm Star, Strawberry Fields and Check It Out! Happy, happy quilting and see you at the Show :)

Material Obsession Retreat

2006-06-06T22:33:00.000+10:00

The first ever Material Obsession Retreat is coming in September... there are only a limited number of places so if you're interested in a few days in Morpeth, NSW, sewing, eating and laughing with Kathy and Sarah to help you out on a new project, stay tuned for more details in coming posts!