Applique Ideas

My ideas for quilts don't just come to me when I'm playing around with fabric. A few weeks ago I had 15 minutes before I had to leave for work so I grabbed some paper and began cutting and gluing and this is what i came up with. Four little blocks. 

The flower block has inspired some large applique flower blocks.

And the other ones have inspired a long piece of applique. I'm not sure where this one is going, but I'm enjoying sewing it.

As a bonus my paper collaging became the basis of a fantastic art activity in a primary school class I was teaching later that week!

Lino Cut Flowers

A few little lino cut prints I made in February, perfect for cards and the front of notebooks.

Springfield Top and Jalie 3668

The Springfield Top and Jalie 3668 are both perfect to sew when you have limited sewing time. 

I used some seersucker fabric with neon spots from the stash for the Springfield top. I've been saving this for the perfect pattern and this was definitely it. I made this a few weeks ago and have worn it several times.

 Eva was desperately in need of a new rashie. I found this crazy bright blue swim fabric (I can spot her in the pool or river instantly!) in the stash and used Jalie 3668. Jalie would have to be some of the most reliable patterns I've ever used and this one is no different.

Mixed Tape Charlie Caftan

My new favourite dress - the Mixed Tape Charlie Caftan.

When I was screen printing simple things onto t-shirts last year using I thought a cassette tape would make a great print, but I knew it was probably a bit complicated for a contact paper template. So I found some drawing fluid and screen filler in an art shop (Riot and Spotlight stock it if you are in Australia). I'm pretty happy with how it turned out for a first attempt. 

They were a great Christmas present for the brothers'-in-law.

Olive has no idea what a cassette tape is.

Before I cleaned that screen and re-used it I thought I'd print some fabric for myself.

I used some chambray from Spotlight.

And I used the Charlie Caftan pattern from Closet Case Patterns.

I've made this pattern a couple times and I wear them lots. 

I'm really enjoying learning how to create my own textiles, what patterns work and the best way to get prints onto fabric. And at the end I have a dress I absolutely love.

Circles of Stars PDF Pattern

Circles of Stars was featured in Homespun Magazine a while ago and the pattern is now available to download!
You can find it in my shop and also on Etsy!

Lena Pants and Sointu Kimono Tees

I first made a Sointu Kimono Tee over a year ago and since then I've made three more. I love this pattern, so quick and easy to sew and it's perfect in a woven rayon.

When I first saw the Lena Pants pattern I knew they would work perfectly with my Sointu Tees. I made two pairs this summer, one from rayon and one from chambray, and they have been worn lots!

Both patterns are have great instructions, are quick to make, and very comfortable to wear. I'm sure I'll be making more of both!

Peppermint Jumpsuit

And now for something completely different.... a jumpsuit!

I really didn't feel the need to make a jumpsuit until I saw the In The Folds collaboration with Peppermint Magazine and then I really needed to make one!

I used some chambray I bought at Spotlight and made no alterations to the pattern except to shorten the pattern 6 inches before I cut it out.

I love it! I'd be surprised if there isn't another one made soon. 

Swimsuit Sewing

The girls always have two weeks of swimming lessons in January and Olive was desperately needing new bathers/swimmers/togs/swimsuit (depending on which state you live in - we call them bathers in WA). A perfect opportunity to buy some of the awesome coastal fabric from Ellie Whittaker.

I had planned to make the one piece in the new Style Arc pattern, but Olive finds separate bottoms and tops easier so I made the top from the pattern. I basted the collar together first and checked that I could fit it over her head and when it fit I decided not to add the zip so this was finished very quickly. The only other change I made was to shorten the sleeves by a few inches as they seemed quite long. I did make the bottoms but they were a bit big and didn't fit quite right so I pulled out an old Kwik Sew pattern (2605) and made new pants with that. 

I love this fabric, I kind of wish I had bought enough to make myself some bathers or a rashie top.

Screen Printing with Contact Paper

I did a lot of screen printing with my class when I was teaching up in the Kimberleys. We just used paper templates and it always seemed to work quite well.A few months ago I thought I'd try printing on some fabric and had no luck using paper templates. They always crinkle, let paint through in the wrong spot and the result was smudgy. A few weeks ago I did a google search for alternatives and found a few people using contact paper. It works fantastically!!

I just trace my design onto the paper side of the contact, cut out the design, peel off the backing and stick it onto the screen. It also allows you to cut out tiny pieces, like the centre of a flower, and stick them onto the screen. 

I had a stack of tea towel blanks I'd had for years so printed a few teacher presents.

There are a lot of second hand t-shirts around here that are a bit stained, but still have a lot of wear in them, so I printed a few for Olive and they are good for another summer!

Next I bought a few plain t-shirts from Target. 

 I'm been using Procreate on my iPad pro to sketch simple designs to screen print then I can print them out in various sizes to see what is best on the shirts.

I do have a few ideas that are a little too complex for contact paper so I've ordered some drawing fluid and filler to see how that works.

Sunflower Blocks

The sunflower blocks are finishes! Now to plan the layout. 

Sunflower Blocks

Working on something new and enjoying every minute of it (ok maybe not the unpicking last night when I made a ridiculous mistake while sewing tired). 

Get 20% off Electric Quilt!

Use code EQ8KATE until October 14th 2018 and save 20% off the entire website!!

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Electric Quilt. I started using EQ6 several years ago and as soon as updates have come out I've upgraded straight away. I play around in EQ8 most days and use it to design all my quilts, including all my quilts in Scrappy and Happy Quilts!

It is so easy to design blocks and then play around with layouts. 

EQ8 has so many amazing tools and I'm always discovering something new. One of my favourite things at the moment is designing foundation pieced blocks. I've also been working on some applique blocks which I hope to show you soon!

 If you've have EQ8 on your wish list I thoroughly recommend it.
Use the code EQ8KATE until this Sunday to get 20% off.
 You can find my PDF patterns here.

Electric Quilt Block of the Month - September

The block of the month for September on the Electric Quilt blog is Metalwork which is found in the Royal Crown section. It's always interesting to see the different designs people come up with using the same block as the base and I got to play around with a block that I had not come across before!

I coloured the block in two different ways and set it on point. 

I love how easy it is to play around with colours and fabrics in Electric Quilt.