Tag Archives: orange

Yippee!!

Posted on by

I finally finished my Classic Horror Monster cross-stitch!!

I’m really bad at finishing cross-stitches so this is a personal best for me…all in the one year!

Top Row: The Mummy, Wolfman, Dracula

Bottom Row: Frankenstein’s Monster, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man.

20140619_081636

I’ve also been working on some English Paper Piecing. I’m doing some clamshells at the moment and also working on a video for hexagons.

20140618_120410

This quilt – that this first clamshell block will go into – will take me a while, as I am determined to do it by hand as you are meant to and I’m a very slow hand sewer. If you’d like to follow along just bookmark this post, but I’m warning you now that it will be ages in between updates, I’m that slow a hand sewer.

I’ll be using up all of my halloween scraps as I love the vibrant colours and I hate waste. And a girl can never have too many halloween quilts. 🙂

As of tomorrow the shop move goes into full swing so there might not be a post for a little while. Excited to have this all over with as I hate packing.

I have several sales happening as well at the moment – you’ll need to check out my Facebook page and Hand-made store for all the goodies.

As always if you have any questions… please ask.

Marni x

 

 

Mid-Year…

Posted on by

So nearly at the middle of the year, tax time, 6 months till the end of the year and time to reassess what I’m doing.

At the start of the year I made myself a resolution to finish UFOs. I have done a few, not as many quilts as I would have liked but I have also made inroads to finish other UFOs – runners, bags and other craft stuff that I’ve been working on….

I’m doing a Classic Horror Movie Monster cross-stitch from Cloudsfactory that I bought ages ago but have done barely any on. I’ve done Frankenstein’s monster, the Bride and the creature from the Black Lagoon, next is the Invisible Man, then Dracula, Wolfman and the Mummy. I can’t wait until it’s finished and I can get it framed.

3/7 done

I love cross-stitch but I’m really slow to get things finished – handwork is really not my forté so it takes me three times as long to do.

I’ve also been working on using pre-cuts to make a few items. I collect pre-cuts like most quilters do, you pick one up at a show or on sale and it sits in a box or the bag it came in and gets forgotten because you don’t know what to do with it or you struggle with the limitations of the size that its been cut at. I have a jelly roll sitting waiting for me but the project I’m saving that for is something that some friends and I are working on. The other pre-cuts I love at the moment are the mini charm square packs – 42, 2.5in squares – I’ve made a few things with them, but because they are so small its hard to keep coming up with ideas. This is the zippered pouch I’m doing today.

I’m also working on  new quilt. I spotted a wreath on Pinterest sometime last year and it was lovely and soft grey tones with brighter peach flowers on it. I loved the colour combination so much I decided that I wanted to make a quilt in those colours. I did start this quilt last year but it has sat in a bag since as I got distracted by other projects. Yesterday I sat and pieced almost all of it and it will be on the quilting machine next week. I’m really looking forward to free-motion quilting something gorgeous in those wide spans of grey linen. YUM!

20140610_022009

The move is going well. The new space is nearly cleared out and I’m still packing over at the studio. I’m aiming to be out by the end of the month but it is a little flexible. I really don’t want to muck around with moving as it is such a painful process but it is good in a way because it forces you to declutter and clean things out that you’ve left on shelves and in boxes for far too long.

I’m really looking forward to the new space as it means I can work more to my body’s natural hours. I’m a night owl, its well known that I’m no good in the mornings… 🙂 and because of the new space I am able to teach small classes. Nothing just yet, after mid-July when I’m all sorted, but you can book in now – just email or ring me.

Colour Class – 1.5 hours, $15.
Binding Class – 2 hours, $20, learn several types of binding.
Cutting and Piecing Class – 3 hours, $30, learn about all the tools needed for cutting, how to calculate and cut, then how to piece, press and iron.
Basic Pouch Class – 2 hours, $20, includes inserting a zip.
Basic Table Runner – 3 hours, $30, learn to design and piece a basic runner for your table.

I am located in Gosford so classes are intended for locals or those traveling through the Central Coast. If you are interstate please don’t worry as I can do video classes for you – please PM me if you are interested in those. I’m taking bookings now so if you’d like to secure your place please let me know and I will organise an invoice for a $10 deposit.

Anyways, its another wet and miserable day here on the coast so I’m off to make another cup of tea and get back to my sewing.

Marni x

Hurtling…

Posted on by

And so here we stand a mere week out from Christmas 2013.

I’m not quite sure I believe we got here as fast as we did – it really does seem like a blur. Especially since we had so many big things happen in the last 12 months –

– The shop front closing and the restructuring of the business

– Dad being home for more than a year!

– New directions with the 55 Fox Fiasco

– And all the other random good stuff that happened.

Also in that time I started a new job… I’m doing some freelance work for the College of Law which is the complete opposite of the work I do in the shop. I’m working on word documents, behind a computer all day, not behind a sewing machine. My brain is finding the balance a little hard to come to terms with but the work is important as it is legal information for up and coming law students.

Nothing will take me away from the shop permanently, I’m just doing this job to help them through their busy time as I have the necessary skills and the flexibility with my time.  🙂

So to catch you all up with what’s happened since I last posted a blog entry (eep! the 21st of October) here’s a quick montage of pics –

I think that about covers the majority of what happened.

I’m not closing over the holidays – so if you need anything please feel free to ring, email or place your order through the shopping cart. I’ll only be going to the post office on non-public holiday days so please allow a couple of extra days for your deliveries.

 

Three months till Christmas…

Posted on by

So over the past couple of weeks besides unpacking and working out the new system at FF HQ I’ve also been working on something for next year.

Two of my friends and I have start The Fifty-Five Fox Fiasco. It’s a collaboration project for 2014 with foxes being the main theme. We haven’t released all the details yet but if you would like to stay in the loop please follow us on our Facebook page.

The girls and I were inspired by a random conversation we had and a mutual love for all things crafty. It will be an exciting 12 months and I can’t wait to get started.

In other news my christmas cockatoo project is on the front cover of the newest issue of Patchwork & Stitching magazine.

PWS 14-9 button

I also had the fortune to be involved in the Fashion Week Central Coast. I submitted one of my quilts for their gala night auction. The quilt sold on the night and some of the funds from its sale will go to the RSPCA – my chosen charity. 🙂

Measures 187cm x 200cm

  Measures 187cm x 200cm

I’m having a small sale over on my Facebook page. All the fabrics in the album are only $10 per metre. Heaps of bargains to be had and the sale will end on Tuesday the 1st of October.

I’m heading to Sydney tomorrow to catch up with friends and then I plan one sewing for the rest of the weekend and Monday when I’m home looking after Dad. I am making pillowcases for Patchwork & Stitching magazines Pillowcase for Oncology drive. I have a big batch of really awesome Dr Seuss fabrics that were donated to the magazine and Melinda (assistant editor) sent out these fabrics for us to whip up pillowcases.

I’m also playing around with some more magazine commissions and a few personal projects – pics to come.

With so little time before the silly season I’m working hard now so that I can have time off this year. We cancelled Christmas last year because none of us really felt like it seeing as we’d just gotten Dad home and things were still settling down. I think Mum wants to do something special this year so I’m making sure that we have at least a few days together, relaxing and enjoying life.

Enjoy your weekend!

Marni x

 

Inspiration

Posted on by

A lot of people ask me where I get my inspiration from.

Most of the time something will just pop into my head as if sucked out of the ether. Sometimes I have to work for it, and sometimes I will spot something that will trigger off a thought and the inspiration surfaces somewhere along the way.

This afternoon as dad and I were driving home from the shop (in the most circuitous manner) I spotted a cluster of trees. Now even though it was lovely and sunny and clear blue skies, these trees felt a bit spooky. I think mainly because they had leaves higher up and so the more exposed gnarly trunks were spooky because of their lack of foliage.

So I whipped out my poor battered camera (which lives eternally in my handbag) and snapped a couple of shots.

 

I’ve been looking for a good set of spooky trees for an art quilt for a while. I think that these guys could be what I want but I will have to test them out with my sketches and see if they fit.

Over the last few days I have been slowly going through the things in my craft room at home. It has been a real eye opener to all the things I had  forgotten. Its good though because there are lots of UFOs that I can finish and put up for sale. I have also discovered many of my beading projects from the last few years – I will get them all sorted and loaded onto my jewellery FB page. Some of these will be for sale too if any one is interested. I’ll reveal the page details when I have it all sorted. 🙂 Plenty of things suitable for gifts and perfect timing as Mother’s Day isn’t far off.

A customer brought her quilt in today for me to quilt. So I am busy with another on the machine at the moment. I like seeing what people are making. That’s inspiring in its way too. I especially love other people’s take on colours and patterns. I’ll put some photos up soon of these customer quilts. I’ll make a new page in the tabs for them.

Oh… just some housekeeping – we will be closed for the Easter long weekend. And Anzac Day as well.

It’s funny but I’ve been really looking forward to winter this year. I have ordered some hand-dyed yarn to knit myself a scarf. The lovely Belinda at Fairythread is doing a custom dye on some cotton for me in my favourite halloween colours. I’m still in the process of making my vintage halloween lap quilt for this chilly season.

I’m off now to do some more writing for my beading magazine.

Marni

New Products

Posted on by

I love when new stuff arrives.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

 

1. Ant Maze (Aqua)

 

 

 

2. Ant Maze (Grey)

 

3. Backyard Party (Grey)

4. Backyard Party (White)

 

 

5. Birch Forest (Aqua)

6. Fun in the Vines (Green)

 

7. Bug Jars (Grey)

8. Bug Jars (Green)

 

9. Lots a Dots (White)

10. Samaras (White)

 

11. Snakeskin (Aqua)

12. Snakeskin (Grey)

 

13. Snakeskin (Green)

14. Snakeskin (Orange)

 

15. Windy Day (Aqua)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to order any of the above fabrics please email frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com, ring 02 4325 2638 or come and see me in store. Just quote the number of the fabric and the quantity you would like to order. Remember we close at 4pm on the 22nd of December so all orders need to be in by midnight of the 17th of December so I have time to process them and get them into the post before we close for the festive season.

Happy Quilting!

Marni