Have you submitted YOUR blocks??

New Beginnings Blocks

Our New Beginnings BOM for 2016 is almost finished and now we are looking forward to the year end draw!!

It's not too late to download the patterns and to enter your finished blocks into the draw. We will be picking the name of one lucky quilter who will win a kit for one of our Northcott quilt patterns!!

Kathy S. from Winnipeg, Manitoba only started working on her blocks in September but last night she submitted all of these blocks and got her name put into the draw EIGHT TIMES!!

I just love that polka dot fabric and I can't wait to see which finishing pattern she decides to use to make the blocks into a quilt!

The patterns for both of the finished quilts are just being written now and will be posted in December!

The Canadian Sampler quilt

A few months ago Sew Sisters quilt shop asked us if we would design a couple blocks for their Sesquicentennial quilt project "The Canadian Sampler". We designed our blocks, made them and then mailed them to Sew Sisters along with the instructions. And yesterday we received an email with a picture of the completed quilt.

The quilt is made entirely with Northcott's ColorWorks fabrics in Cardinal and Winter White and is a combination of traditional and modern blocks. Sew Sisters is running it as a block of the month starting in January. 

This is the link to the registration: http://bit.ly/2fIPrxC

This is the link to their blog with the info on all of the designers. http://bit.ly/2fEmJPq

New quilt pattern now available

Savile Diamonds now available

Nellie and I have been so busy since returning from Houston! This morning though I was able to find some time to get one of our newest patterns up onto our website and onto Craftsy. Here is Savile Diamonds:

Savile Diamonds - blue version

Savile Diamonds - brown version

This one is a "manly" quilt as it uses Northcott's new flannel line of plaids prints called "Savile Row". and our pattern gives directions for both colorways. But look what happens when I use the magic of EQ to try out some other fabrics:

As you can see - it gives it a whole new look!!! If you've got a focus fabric that you would love to use in a quilt, give this pattern a try!!

Look for it on our website: Savile Diamonds

Or on Craftsy: Savile Diamonds

Sewing adorable wool felt animals

 Leisure Arts recently sent me the cutest book to review - "Crafty Critters" by Vickie Clontz of Annie's Keepsakes.

This fun little book has patterns for purses and pincushions, coasters and magnets and lots more projects. The directions are well written and easy to follow.

The hedgehog pin cushion is my absolute favourite! Look how cute it is with pins sticking in it!

If you've got an outdoorsy little girl on your Christmas list, there are two adorable purse patterns - this little fox purse and a raccoon one too!

  

This book is available in print or as a ebook right from the Leisure Arts website or look for it at your local bookstore or craft supply store! Have fun sewing up a zoo full of adorable wool felt animals!

Turtle Hand Batiks from Malaysia

Nellie and I attended International Quilt Market in Houston, Texas last weekend and we came home with many, many treasures and so, so inspired!! This year we found Quilt Market to be even more "International" than ever before. There were vendors from the US, Canada, Australia, Britain and many, many more countries. We came home with wool embroidery kits from France, the cutest buttons EVER from Brazil and my personal favourite, beautiful Turtle Hand Batiks from Malaysia.

We stopped in Tina's booth to admire her fabrics and ended up working out a way that we could partner with her to help promote her wonderful business! Tina imports these one-of-a-kind hand painted fabrics from families in Malaysia and follows ethical trade practices to help these artisans to make a better life for themselves. 

I managed to bring a few pieces home with me to see what I could create for Tina. One of her ladies made these fat eighth bundles secured on a trivet so I HAD to bring a couple of them home!

Fat eighth bundle from Turtle Hand Batiks

Tina's most amazing fabrics are her art panels like this dragonfly panel that I brought home with me. They are all beautifully made and the colours are so saturated!!

Dragonfly art panel all ready to be made into a quilt or bag

 Her line of fabrics has quite a selection of colours and designs! She sent us home with one of her swatch packs to help get the creative juices flowing.

Check out these hand made buttons from one of her suppliers - a husband and wife team that make buttons from coconut shells after the juice and meat has been consumed. What an awesome way to recycle!!

Hand made coconut shell buttons

Needless to say that Nellie and I are super excited to be working with Tina and can't wait to start creating with our samples of Turtle Hand Batiks from Malaysia!!

November block of the month now available on Craftsy

New Beginnings BOM - November

Wow - it's November and we are almost at the end of our New Beginnings BOM  series!! If you've been following along, make sure that you post pictures of your finished blocks on Craftsy so that you can be entered into our draw for a quilt kit!!

Here are the fabrics that I chose for my November block. I'm just loving the navy, teals and orange/fuschia fabrics together and can't wait to see what all of my blocks are going to look like together!

Here are all of triangles ready to sew together:

And here is my finished block!!

Check out all of the New Beginning blocks that are available on Craftsy! Next month we'll post the final block AND two different patterns for using the blocks to make a quilt!