Petals & Patches' Blog

Christmas Wishes & Happy New Year

petalsandpatches — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:51:27 +0000

Well it certainly has been a busy time here leading up to Christmas and the New Year. I hope you all had a lovely time catching up with family & friends, wherever they may be, and have managed to stay safe over this time. I have been busy finishing off a magazine project for this year and now it’s time for a well earned break. (Mind you, I will be taking some stitching with me – I wouldn’t know what to do with my hands!!!!!!)

I will hopefully be able to read & answer my emails but any orders etc will be followed up after my return around the 20th January.

I look forward to another busy year ahead and will be back with maybe a peek at what I’ve been up to while away.

Take care,

Leanne

There’s a new shop in town ……….

petalsandpatches — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:21:22 +0000

Just a quick post with lots of pic’s to let you know about a new boutique quilting store that has opened called “The Quilters’ Patch”. It is located at Shop 9/3 Tuck Street in Moorabbin, Victoria.

The shop is lovely & fresh and has lots of new fabrics. What’s fantastic is that there is a sale this week to celebrate the opening (it ends on Saturday 17th Dec).

Here are some pictures to delight your senses.

The phone number is (03) 9555 0010. Pop in for some great buys for Christmas.

Homespun Christmas Project

petalsandpatches — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:06:39 +0000

Surprise! I’m back with another post, this time with a picture of my project that is in the current edition of Homespun Magazine (Vol. 12.11), which is The Food, Glorious Food Issue and includes a small profile as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this table runner for the Christmas table, however it could be used at other times as it wasn’t made using Christmas fabrics specifically. It is entitled “A Pear of Partridges” and features a pair of partridges sitting amongst viney branches of a pear tree. It is quite simple to make, even in time for Christmas.
This issue of Homespun can also be viewed digitally. To find out how visit www.zinio.com.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. It’s now time for me to get back to working on another project for the magazine for an issue next year. Hope you find some time to fit some stitching in too!

Leanne

Gift Giving

petalsandpatches — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:40:27 +0000

My daughter had so much fun making a quilt for her teacher’s new baby. While it took a little time to finish the baby girl certainly hadn’t had time to outgrow it, although originally it was going to be a little bit smaller but we thought we had better add a few rows. She did a great job and her teacher and his wife very very pleased with their gift. The stitcheries were of a dog, duck, cow & squirrel however they haven’t shown up well on the photo.

Now this quilt is for my niece’s 21st Birthday and it is finally finished!!! Just a little late for her 22nd Birthday (can you tell I don’t like to rush things!!!!!) but just in time before she heads off to London for 2 years to start her career as a teacher. She probably could do with a nice warm quilt considering where she is heading.
I really should have finished it sooner considering it was pre-printed and only involved me adding borders, however the stitchery I included on it did take a little time. Her favourite colour is purple so I hope she likes the hint of purple in the quilt. Now I just have to hope she doesn’t have time in all her packing frenzy to read my blog before she opens her gift.

Stay tuned for my next post (you’ll be surprised at how soon it may be!!!!)

Leanne

Time to catch up!!!!!

petalsandpatches — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:10:27 +0000

Well it has been quite a while since I last posted on this blog, to say the least. There have been busy times here and unfortunately I have put my blogging on hold in order to be able to keep up with all the goings on. So I will post a few pictures of what has been happening over the last little (ha ha!) while.

Firstly our little boy is no longer so small. He has grown into a rather handsome young teenager with lots of energy to boot.

We have added 2 new girls to our brood also. They are Silvermist (a 1st prizewinner at the Royal Melbourne Show) & Cindy, both of which have settled in well and are producing some lovely little eggs.

Here are a few pictures of projects that you may have seen glimpses of or in other versions.

Stitched with Love

Lavender Ladies - Fragrant Sachets

Little Sewing Maidens

A new pattern made with Lynette Anderson’s Scandinavian Christmas range of fabrics is “Let it Snow” it is a tablerunner & placemat set. Very easy to make, just in time for Christmas. Of course it could also be made in traditional Christmas colours.

I just spent a lovely 4 days at the Melbourne Craft & Sewing Show at Caulfield as guest designer on Blue Willow Cottage’s stand. It was lovely to meet lots of ladies from far & wide who had come to the show (even from the US & New Zealand). I taught a class involving my latest pattern release called “Christmas Maidens 1 & 2″. All the ladies were quite pleased with learning some new skills and these little decorations were quick and easy to make. Just in time to decorate everyone’s tree.

Christmas Maidens 1

Each pattern comes with 4 small matryoshka applique pieces to make into the dcorations/charms and there is even a stitched version of matryoshka to use in place of the fabric when you run out. They would even make nice tags to place on your Christmas presents.

Christmas Maidens 2

Meanwhile there have been a few projects in the works that are keeping me rather busy that will be released next year, as well as some magazine projects and a few presents in between. Will pop back on another post to show a couple of the presents.

It is Melbourne Cup Day here in Melbourne so if you have a flutter I hope you have an enjoyable day. I’m going to be stitching under a blanket with a nice warm cuppa to soothe my current cold that has decided to inhabit my world.

Sunny Queensland

petalsandpatches — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:57:54 +0000

Well it has been a busy couple of weeks, however I did get to spend a most enjoyable time at Heavenly Patchwork’s Retreat up in sunny Queensland. It was held at Tunnel Ridge Ranch in Landsborough just past Australia Zoo. It was such a beautiful campsite that is used for school camps/retreats/school holiday camps and the owners Paul & Cheryl are such lovely hardworking people.

I not only enjoyed helping out teaching at the Retreat which had a “Wedding Theme” but I also came away with the feeling that I had just made 30 new friends. The ladies were lovely and amazingly prolific with their quilting output (I think there was steam coming out of a few of the sewing machines!!!)

Lisa, the owner, of Heavenly Patchwork in Clontarf was teaching some of the ladies a Double Wedding Ring Quilt and they did an amazing job. Others worked on their own projects.

This is the pattern I designed for the Retreat in keeping with the “Wedding” theme. This is available as a pattern.

I came home inspired, a little tired and very well fed (the food was delicious!). I am sure Lisa and her Mum, Kay, deserve a rest after such a busy weekend, they were so organised and the retreat was fantastic. Thanks so much for inviting me.

Bye for now,

Leanne

Welcome Stitchery

petalsandpatches — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:00:31 +0000

A little while back I may have shown a peek at one of my upcoming designs that was to appear in Creating Country Threads. Well it is in the current edition which is Volume 11 No. 12. I do hope you like it.

It was stitched using a variegated thread from Valdani called Vintage Pastel. These threads are colourfast and I love working with variegated threads as you don’t have to keep changing colours.

I hope you get to spend some time this weekend doing the things you love.

Leanne

“My Sewing Room” ……..

petalsandpatches — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:05:04 +0000

Here is a sneak peek of my project that will be sent out this month for Country Hart Designs “My Sewing Room” Project of the Month.

Robyn will be busy kitting up my project which will be sent out later this month. I hope you all like it. I’m sure there is lots of stitching happening with all the participants involved. I have enjoyed making my project for you all, so enjoy!!!!

Bye for now,

Leanne

Update on Jet

petalsandpatches — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:37:38 +0000

Well while our little zoomer, Jet, was trying to learn the finer things in regard to my sewing room he had a small encounter with a small tape measure that cost us more than a small amount of $$$$ to correct. He now comes with a four figure $price tag. This may sound a little cryptic, so to explain he was playing with a quarter inch wide tape measure which he decided tasted good so he ate about 5 – 6 inches of it. This of course upset his little tummy which then ended up in a big operation. He now knows a lot about stitches as he has quite a few in him.

They will be removed this weekend, much to his despite, as he hates his little bucket collar that he has to wear. It has been a full-time job keeping him quiet and loved at the same time even though he has been isolated in a convalesence cage. He has been such a great little fella though.

So warning for you all, don’t let kittens play with tape measures!!!!!!

Leanne

Distractions ……….

petalsandpatches — Wed, 25 May 2011 07:59:20 +0000

What a busy month it has been. Lots happening but not too much sewing unfortunately. Getting ready for a few retreats and projects keeps one’s mind occupied, so there is now alot of stitching happening to finish all of these projects off.

However there has been a new addition into the Petals & Patches family. He is rather handsome, sleek, shiny & new – a new man in my life!! Just what a girl needs, however he needs to be taught about the finer things in life like needles, threads & fabric.

While he is right into threads I’m not sure he is up to the needles & pins stage just yet.

I suppose I should put a picture of him on here for you to see just how he melts my heart and causes me such distraction.

His name is Jet and he was half my Mother’s Day present & half my daughter’s Birthday present and is the cutest little rescue kitten in our books. He is getting along well with Pippi our other rescue cat who is now 16 months old – lots of chasing around the house and annoying her but she just loves cleaning him up and letting him know his place.

Lots to love around here,

Leanne