Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition - Winners!

First of all, I would like to thank all of the wonderful quilters who entered the competition, their quilts and the memories that inspired them were a joy to read about and see.

The standard of entries was incredibly high, so I was delighted that it wasn't my job to pick a winner.

The judges, Cindy, Kristy and Sheila who were also so generous with their time and expertise, have deliberated, the votes have been cast and the random numbers have been generated so it is time to announce the winners.

The judges pick for the categories were as follows;

In the category, Mini Quilts the judges prize goes to Evening in the Garden

 

Congratulations Valerie, the F8th bundle of Oakshott Cottons will be winging their way to you as soon as you send me your address.

In the Category, Cushions/Pillows the judges prize goes to Missy Mac Creations 

Love the scooter Erin, the box of Aurifil threads will be winging their way to you soon too.

The judges prize for the Bags/Accessories prize goes to Mud Pies and Pins

 

Congratulations Paula, you now have £25 to spend at the Village Haberdashery!

Thank you to everyone who voted or blogged about the vote for the Viewers Choice winners, the winners of these prizes are ;

In the Mini Quilts category, the overwhelming Viewers Choice winner was Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle

 

Congratulations Hadley,  the 6 FQ's of Japanese Fabrics from Blossom Heart Quilts will be heading your way soon!

In the Cushions/Pillows category and again an overwhelming winner, the Viewers Choice was Negligent Style

 

Congratulations Vera, time to pick your Jelly Roll from Fabric Patch!

As the only entry in the Bags and Accessories Category, Paula is also the Viewers Choice winner so wins a Fabric Bundle from Sew Me a Song to go with the Village Haberdashery gift voucher!

As well as these fabulous prizes, there were 6 randomly drawn prizes up for grabs too, and the winners of these are;

• Amy's Crafty Shenanigans  wins her choice of 3 paper-piecing patterns from Quiet Play's Craftsy Store
• She Can Quilt  wins a pack of 5 spools of Aurifil thread
• SLIK stitches wins a pack of 5 spools of Aurifil thread
• Quilts with Personality wins a pack of 5 spools of Aurifil thread
• Janet wins a pack of 5 spools of Aurifil thread
• Knotted Cotton wins a copy of Patchwork Please.

 So, Congratulations to all of the winners and a huge thank you to everyone who entered, judged or donated a prize, the competition would have been nothing without you :)

I had so much fun reading about the entries and seeing the final submissions that I think I might just do it all again next year, what do you think???

If you are a lucky winner, please get in touch to pass on your contact details. I am sure you will be itching to get your hands on your prize as soon as possible :)

Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition - Voting now open!

Well, they travelled, they photographed, they planned, stitched, blogged or Flickr'ed and then entered and what fabulous entries they were but now it is your turn.

Entries to the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition are now closed, which means that it is time to vote for your favourite. So here's the lowdown on voting;

• Vote by clicking on the heart in the top right hand corner of your favourite. 
• Each IP address has only one vote per category so spend it wisely :)
• All of the entries have been anonymised to make the process as fair as possible too
• Voting will close at 23.59GMT on Friday, October 11th
• Winners will be announced on Tuesday, October 15th

In the meantime, the expert judges will be scrutinising all of the entries to bestow their Best in Show awards. Here's a quick reminder of why they are going to be such great scrutineers :)

•  Kristy at is well known to many of you as the paper-piecing pattern supremo of such diverse lines as Retro Kitchenware and LEGO Star Wars characters

• Cindy at Tops to Treasures is a longarm quilter par excellence and a Moda Bakeshop designer to boot
• Sheila at bluepatch quilter is a quilt class teacher of many years standing who describes herself as an enthusiastic quilter, but her pupils might think that is underselling herself

 I am glad it is down to them and not me, I would have a really tough time choosing!

So what are you waiting for? Let's vote!

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

A bundle of Oakshott loveliness.

If you are looking to enter the

you will find the Link here

If you haven't entered the competition yet, then here is an incentive for you!

The very generous people at Oakshott have sent this bundle of loveliness as one of the prizes up for grabs. Now if that doesn't spur you on to get that mini quilt finished and submitted before the deadline this Friday, I don't know what will :)

I would love to hold on to this but sadly, for me anyway, it will be winging its way to one lucky entrant later this month. So, if you want that person to be you you know what you have to do!

Midnight Sun memory

If you are looking to enter the

You will find the Link up here


As regular readers will know the impetus for the Holiday Memories competition was an Arctic Circle cruise that my husband and I took in July this year. The scenery of the Norwegian Coast was truly stunning, but the most spectacular part of the cruise was sailing across a Norwegian Fjord with the Midnight Sun as our backdrop.

There was something magical about standing on the ship's deck watching the clock head towards midnight whilst the sun dipped towards the horizon. If you ever get the chance to experience anything like it, take it, it is definitely a sight worth seeing!

Needless to say this was the memory that I wanted to capture for my own Holiday Memory mini quilt.

I initially thought about using the New York Beauty Block to represent my photo but couldn't settle on the right pattern. Then I thought about some free-form curved piecing but decided that was maybe a step too far :)

When I got the Pillow Pop book for my birthday I found the perfect solution to my problem. One of the patterns, Crystallized, was for a cushion entirely composed of HST's with contrasting warm and cool toned fabric that gave a kind of shimmer/ripple effect.

Using the Palette Builder from Play Crafts I generated a list of fabric colours for my cushion, and set to sorting out fabrics from my stash. Needless to say as I started on the cushion some other fabrics crept in! I had to have some green to represent the Norwegian forests, then some blue to represent the Fjords so my final palette was a bit removed from the original photo, but the memory is still there.

I embroidered a clock face with the hands pointing to midnight in the middle of the cushion front, and echo quilted the diagonal lines of the HST's with a pale grey thread to represent the ripple of the water as the boat sailed through the Fjord.

I was delighted with the cushion cover, which already has pride of place in our living room, and brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

If you haven't yet entered the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition there is still plenty of time as submissions will remain open until 23.59 GMT on Friday, October 4th. There are some great prizes up for grabs, including several randomly drawn, but if you aren't in it you can't win it :)

All the information you need to enter is available here


Check back tomorrow for more details on one of the wonderful prizes up for grabs.

Linking up to

and to the great monthly link-up Beth hosts to encourage us to learn and stretch ourselves with photography at

 

This post is for the colour palette inspiration theme, naturally :) 

Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition - Now Open!

Welcome to the first ever

I can't wait to read all of your Holiday Memories and to see them represented in fabric and thread.


Here is a quick recap of the Competition rules


Competition Rules 

The Competition is for a mini quilt based upon a Holiday Memory.

• Mini quilts submitted must be at least 12" by 12" in size and no bigger than 24" by 30" 

• Submissions can be made in one of these three categories (A link for each category can be found at the end of this post)

1. Mini Quilt/ Wallhanging
2. Cushion/Pillow
3. Bag/Accessory

• All submissions must be complete on entry
• Submitted entries must have been completed since 1st January 2013
• Submissions can be either from a blog post or Flickr photostream
• All submissions should include details of the Holiday Memory they relate to in the blog post or Flickr photo description
• Entrants can only make 1 submission in each category, but may enter all 3 categories with different, individual entries if they wish

Important Dates

1. Submissions open on Thursday, September 26th
2. Submissions close on Friday, October 4th
3. Voting for the Viewers Choice winners in each category begins on Saturday, October 5th
4. Voting closes on Friday, October 11th
5. Winners in all categories will be announced on Tuesday, October 15th

Here's a quick recap too of the fabulous prizes up for grabs.

A £25 gift voucher from the Village Haberdashery

   

This gorgeous Fabric Bundle from Sew Me a Song

  

An Italy Fat 8ths pack of Oakshott Cottons 

A box of Aurifil threads

A jelly roll to the value of Aus$44 from Jelly Roll heaven at Fabric Patch, 

  

6FQ's of Japanese Fabrics from Blossom Heart Quilts

  

Choice of 3 paper-piecing patterns from Quiet Play's Craftsy store

A copy of Patchwork Please 

 1 x 5 spools Aurifil Thread (4 lucky winners!)

So, link up your projects for a chance to win!

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Introducing Janeene and Fabric Patch

Today, I am delighted to introduce you to Janeene, the proud owner of

Janeene Cooke                   p. (07) 5442 4613            www.fabricpatch.com.au

Janeene is very generously providing a Jelly Roll to the value of Aus$44 to one lucky winner in the

I was really delighted when Janeene agreed to be a prize sponsor for the competition as I was keen to have the Southern Hemisphere represented fully in the list of prize sponsors, and Janeene certainly came up trumps.

If you haven't come across Janeene's store before you will not be disappointed, she carries a great range of stock and her service is second to none. I'll let Janeene fill you in on how she came to be a Quilt Shop owner.

" I am a mum of 4 lovely children (young adults now) who has a love of sewing and craft.I have been sewing since the age of 12, making my own clothes (without  patterns). In 2000 the family moved to Indonesia to live and this is where I learnt to make my first patchwork quilt.  We lived in a small oil field camp, with mostly American families. My lovely American friend taught me the art of patchwork.  In the following 4 years I made about 13 Quilts, then in 2004 we moved back to Australia and settled on the Sunshine Coast.

Fabric bolts

With a busy life at home on the Sunshine Coast with 4 children and a husband that worked away overseas I did not have much time for sewing.  My husband and I often talked about buying a business and in 2012 I saw a business for sale in the paper.  Now, my husband always wanted a ‘manly’ type of business like a Steel Shop….  So when I told him on the phone I had found a business that I would like to have a look at.  I said to him “I have found a business I would like to have a look at, but it is not very ‘manly’” And the rest is history.  We bought my dream business…….and relocated it to our home at Cooroibah.

My favourite quilt

I am a patchwork, quilting and sewing enthusiast, which helps me understand my customers’ needs and requirements. I love what I do and my aim is to please my customers by providing great products, service, price and advice…. "

  

Pre-Cuts

Fabric Patch stocks an extensive range of Moda Pre-cuts, Patchwork & Quilting fabrics and a huge range of sewing, quilting, clothing and stitchery patterns and books from the world’s leading designers, such as Amy Butler, Amy Bradley, Kids Quilts, Bunny Hill,  Cinderberry Stitches, Coach House Designs, Favourite Things, Gail Pan Designs, Hatched & Patched, It’s Sew Emma, Janelle Wind Collection, Leanne’s House, Melly & Me, Natalie Ross in Stitches, Rosalie Quinlan Designs, The Birdhouse, Zen Chic and many more…  You can browse patterns by designer or by category.  These include Bag, Quilt, Doll, Soft Toy, Stitchery, Embroidery, Pillow / Cushions & Christmas patterns. 

We also stock Olfa & Clover Products, Felt, Pom Pom, Lace Daisy and Ric Rac Sewing Trims, Bias Binding, Fabric Kits, Lunch Bag Kits, Creative Grids, Rulers, Rasant Thread, Batting, Parlan, Designer Pins, Lecien, Michael Miller and Riley Blake Fabrics.
We aim to have the most comprehensive range of Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes,  Charm Squares, Fat Quarter Bundles and matching fabrics.

Thanks Janeene. So if you are still dithering about selecting fabrics for your Holiday Memories Mini Quilt entry then you should definitely be checking out Fabric Patch :)

Sew Me a Song

My poor wallet takes a hit from all of the fabulous fabrics on sale at Sew Me a Song every time I check out the shop, so I was thrilled when Becca agreed to sponsor a prize for the Holiday Memory Mini Quilt Competition.

Sew Me a Song has loads of inspiring fabrics just perfect for representing that special Holiday Memory.

Here's what Becca had to say about her Etsy store and prize for the Competition.


"What a fun way to create a memory! I think Fiona’s Holiday Memory Mini Quilt Competition is such a wonderful idea and I am thrilled to have Sew Me A Song be a sponsor!  Sew Me A Song specialises in Japanese, text and other quirky prints. 

A move to Maine meant leaving Sew Fresh Fabrics,which I had started with my friend Peg, and the opportunity to build a business focusing on those offbeat prints that I love.

SMAS new home!

 After a crazy year of temporary living we have just moved into our new home and are in the process of rebuilding the future home of the business. 

For the Holiday Mini Quilt Competition I have put together a bundle loosely based on a travel theme. The bundle is made up 7 fat quarters and includes prints from Clothworks, Lecien, Yuwa and more. Enjoy!

Prize bundle

                    

Good luck Everyone! I can not wait to see all your creations!"

Aren't they lovely? Becca has put together a great bundle for the Competition so, if you want to be in with a chance of winning this gorgeous fabric bundle you know what you have to do!

All details of the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition are available by clicking on the tab at the top of the page. 

Introducing Blossom Heart Quilts

So, you have picked your holiday memory photo, generated your fabric palette now you need to select your fabric. Well, today I am delighted to introduce Alyce, of Blossom Heart Quilts who is one of the very generous prize sponsors for the

If you have never come across Alyce's fabulous Japanese fabrics you are in for a real treat!

Over to Alyce ...

When Fiona emailed me asking me if I would sponsor the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition with some of my exotic Japanese fabric, how could I say no?! I love Japanese fabric - a term that covers so many different styles - and especially sharing it with others. This was the drive to open my little Etsy store, wanting to share my Japanese fabric finds with others. It's my "bit on the side" - as a full-time stay at home mum and a part-time English teacher, my fling with Japanese fabric is a great side interest! Because who doesn't love playing with fabric?!

For the competition, I've donated this beautiful bundle of Japanese fabrics featuring colourful and traditional prints. It's a bundle from my Japanese Bundle Club - a monthly bundle of fabrics selected around a theme. This bundle is from the Tanabata month - a Japanese festival held each summer. The bundle contains 6 prints symbolising Japanese festivals. Other months have included sewing prints, text, and the current bundle is a bundle of 6 warm-coloured fabrics in reds, oranges and yellows. Next month, available September 1st, is novelty prints! It's a month-by-month club, so you just purchase what bundles you want to by the end of the month, and by the second Friday of the next month, your bundle will be winging it's way to you from Japan! You can order a fat quarter bundle or a fat eighth bundle, and shipping is free! You can even combine shipping with any other item, and it will all ship together. If you've ever wanted to try some Japanese fabric, this is the best way to do it!

I can't wait to see what you create during the competition!!

Thanks Alyce, your Japanese fabrics are gorgeous.

All of the details of the competition, including the list of prize sponsors are available here

If trying out Japanese fabrics are New to You then there is still time to link up to

The link up is open until the end of the month.

New to Me in August

It's the 25th of the month, which means that it is time to share any new activities that you have tried out in August.

I had an idea that August had been a bit of a slow month but to my surprise, August has seen several firsts for me, the big one of course being hosting my first ever competition - the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition

The Competition, which was launched on August 2nd with this post , is for a mini quilt based upon a Holiday Memory, and all of the details are available by clicking on the Holiday Memories tab at the top of the page.

Another first was my attempt at a Stained Glass Applique block inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Even with the fiddly 0.25" bias binding to make, this was quick and enjoyable to do, so will, hopefully, not be my last try at the technique.

More fusible bias binding was involved in the last of my new techniques this month,

with a lot of free-form machine embroidery thrown in for good measure :)

So that is what I have been up to, now it is your turn to link up and share your New to You activities in August.

Link them up below and share your triumphs and/or disasters.

As ever please help to spread the word by linking back to this post in your post and/or adding the blog button to your sidebar.

Check out the other links and leave a comment along the way. The emphasis of this link party is to celebrate the trying of something new, whether it works out exactly as planned or not, so a little encouragement here and there would not go amiss! 

The link will remain open until August 31st so if you haven't already tried something new you still have time :)

Creating a quilt from a photo - Selecting fabrics with the Palette Builder

The Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition is underway

For some prospective entrants (Benta I am thinking of you!) who had the holiday of a lifetime this year picking a memory to choose to represent in a mini quilt is fairly straightforward. For others the memory will choose itself when the photos are viewed.

Either way how do you translate the photo you have into fabrics for a mini quilt? Well, if you haven't come across it before, the help you need is freely available in the Palette Builder available at Play Crafts.

Anne from Play Crafts has this to say about the Palette Builder tool

"At Play Crafts, we're committed to making design tools that are easy,
intuitive, and most of all, fun to use. We feel that every person has
a creative vision, and we want to design tools that help that vision
come to life. Palette Builder is our first tool, and it is designed to
help people find color inspiration from their favorite photos. With
the recent addition of Kona matching, it's now even easier to
integrate your color inspiration into your quilt designs!"

With the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition in mind Anne has written a tutorial for newcomers to the Palette Builder, which is available here

Looking through my Norwegian Cruise photos I came across this one that I had taken to remind me of the wonderful colours of the painted wooden houses.

Uploaded to the Palette Builder I have the palette of colours I need to look for in fabrics and if I am so inclined a shopping list of Kona cottons to boot :)

So what are you waiting for? Look through your photos, check out the tutorial, play about with the Palette Builder and then rummage in your stash or get shopping!

Check the link at the top of the page for all of the details of the Competition, including the great prizes up for grabs

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Have fun :)

Linking to