Saturday 29 November 2014

BVAC Pop Up Shop



Last weekend I took part in the BVAC Pop Up Shop at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, together with fellow Queensland Quilters Mel (in photo above), Jane R, Jane W and Chris. It was great fun - I sold quite a few things (mainly  pencil rolls and postcards), it was nice and cool in the airconditioned room, and I got a lot of my Christmas shopping done!



We are going home to the Netherlands for Christmas - I had planned to make presents for family and friends, but just didn't have the time, so buying handmade presents is the next best thing, right?

Friday 14 November 2014

Quilting retreat!



A week ago I was packed and ready to go on a quilting retreat! My friend Rens picked me up and we drove via Gatton (where there was a Christmas craft market) to Edmund Park, near Thornton in the Lockyer Valley. This was the view we had over the Great Dividing Range:



It was the same place as three years ago, again organised by Julie. It did look a bit greener then...



The beautiful jacaranda was in bloom again...



And there were still lots of wallabies:



Here is Rens, working on a quilt for a friend:



Apart from the Dutch post bag that I showed in the previous posting, I worked on three projects:



The blue squares are scraps of my favourite fabrics. There weren't enough for a quilt, so I made a cushion. I love it! (and so do the boys)



Remember the pencil roll I made last year from a kilt I found at the op shop? I gave it to a friend after she told me loved it (yes, if friends or family tell me they love my stuff there is a good chance they end up getting it!). I still had most of the kilt and one more clasp, so I finally made another pencil roll - had been planning that for ages! Think I will keep this one myself :-)



The third project I worked on is a quilt I am making for a friend. I will show it here soon in a separate posting.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

PTT Post Bag



I am very happy to be able to show you this bag! I finally found the courage to cut up the vintage Dutch post bag that my best friend gave me when we  were in Holland in 2012:



(The text above the Dutch tricolour says 'property ptt post' in Dutch, the text below 'post netherlands 84' in French. PTT used to be the postal service in the Netherlands)
I adjusted the Alice Book Bag pattern that I used to make my mail bag(see previous post) to include the Dutch text and the tricolour on the flap, and the French text on the back of the bag:



I made two large exterior pockets (for sunglasses and hand cream) using a piece of coloured fabric:



I lined the bag with... another polka dot fabric!



And created lots of interior pockets - for wallet, keys, mobile phone, business card case etc:



I made the strap from the remaining fabric and broke a few needles trying to attach it to the bag...



I showed it via Skype to my friend (who is living with her family in New Zealand at the moment, we are planning a visit for Easter 2015!). She loved it and asked if I could make one for her as well!
Umm yes... - maybe I can buy another bag when we are in Holland in December...

I made this bag last weekend at a quilting retreat  - did I tell you I was going to a retreat?  No, I don't think I did... I'll show some photos of the venue and the other projects I worked on in the next posting!

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Mail bag



On the weekend I finished a new quilt. I can't show it here yet, as it is a present for our new niece or nephew who will be born in December, when we are in Holland! So exciting. As usual after finishing a quilt I felt like making a small item, so I made this bag.



It is the Alice Book Bag by Betz White - one of the patterns I won in her Sew-Long Summer Sew-along. I used this gorgeous fabric that a dear friend gave me the last time we were in the Netherlands, and lined it with a red polka dot fabric.



I changed the pattern a bit - I didn't use grommets for the strap and put the exterior pocket on the front instead of the back.



It was a quick and easy make - Betz' patterns are well written and easy to follow. Now I want to make a similar but larger bag with the Dutch post bag that my best friend gave me, so stay tuned!