Book Tour - The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips

Welcome to my leg of the book tour for Ebony Love's much anticipated debut book "The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips" :)

Before we go any further I'd just like to say that unlike all of the amazing book tour stops before me, I'm not a professional/expert die cutter or quilter! I'm just your average 30-something stay at home mum who fell into die cutting rather like I fell into quilting - straight in the deep end and working it out as I go along! But the fact that *I* am not a professional is really unimportant, because as you'll discover (if you don't already know), Ebony is THE "go to" girl in the fabric die cutting world.

I wish that there had been a book like Ebony's when I was making my first foray into die cutting 12 months ago. My son "outgrew" his baby quilt, so I decided that it was time to make him a new one. I found some Harry Potter fabric squares on ebay (he's only a little obsessed!) and then went on to think about how I was going to put it all together. In Australian Patchwork & Quilting magazine I'd seen ads for the Accuquilt GO! cutter, which ultimately led me to research it a little online and decide that I needed the GO! (as opposed to the Baby) and the Drunkard's Path die. I'd seen this cool idea for a Split Drunkard's Path star block online and I thought it would be a perfect way to use my Harry Potter fabric. I did some price researching, and while it was cheaper in the US, the shipping to Australia would cripple me, so I sucked up the price difference and found a place over here that had a pretty good price, and as it happened, a sale on dies! Hmm.. surely I needed more than just the Drunkard's Path? I managed to convince my husband to order me the Double Wedding Ring, the Rose of Sharon, the Tumbler and the 2.5" strip die (the strip die was an after thought, but it was $58 down from $85 for the GO Baby compatible one, so I couldn't go past it!).. and then I snuck in the Sunbonnet Sue die when he wasn't looking.. Turned out that ordering the Tumbler die was the best thing I did for that quilt, because the fabric squares were too small to use with the Drunkard's Path die. But I found a way to make those stars anyway!

And that 2.5" strip die I bought just because it was on sale? Best. Die. Purchase. Ever. I use it with EVERY quilt I make (sometimes for sashing, ALWAYS for binding!). Ebony outlines a whole range of other things you can do with the strip dies, including cross cutting the strips to make diamonds or squares. I also picked up a few tips on continuous borders by cutting length of fabric (LOF) instead of width of fabric (WOF). Other sized strip dies are definitely on my "to get" list!

If I'd had Ebony's book before buying my GO!, I think that the section on choosing which die cutter to suit you would have been invaluable. I love my GO! but there are times when I wish I had something larger, like the Big Shot Pro - especially because it has the flexibility of using other brand dies (including the Accuquilt ones) which my GO! does not. I love Ebony's clear, concise comparisons of the features of each cutter, the number of dies available, the die compatibility of other brands etc. Having it all right there in an easy to read format makes it much easier to make an informed decision.

Recently I've been pondering the purchase of a smaller machine because while my GO! *is* portable, it's quite heavy and cumbersome when I'm also trying to carry bags filled with fabric and my sewing machine when I go to guild meetings etc.  I'd naturally considered the Baby GO! because it will fit all my dies (except the DWR), but after seeing the Sizzix Big Shot at the Craft Fair a few months ago I've been in a quandary. I loved some of the dies that Sizzix offered (like the multiple same size hexie dies) but I wasn't sure that I wanted to invest in a new system, especially given that the Big Shot will only work with my 5x10" dies (which rules out almost all the dies I currently own).

After reading Ebony's comparison section, I'm seriously considering the Big Shot. After all, I'll still have my GO! so it's not like I won't be able to use my 6"+ Accuquilt dies, and I could just take my GO! on those occasions when I need to use the dies that are too big for the Big Shot. Additionally I'd also have the opportunity to purchase Sizzix and other brand dies that catch my fancy.

Don't think that just because you've already got a fabric cutter that you won't need this book - I picked up so many tips and ideas when I read through it. Some of them were so simple that you'd think they were obvious, and yet it had never occurred to me that I might be able or need to do some of those things. I'd never thought about checking my dies for accurate cutting by using paper to do the first cut, or even filing those paper pieces for future reference (eg using applique cuts to audition placement on blocks etc).

There is something in The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips for everyone. If you don't have a die cutter but are thinking of purchasing one, you should read Ebony's book before you make any decisions.. and if you already have a die cutting machine and want to learn how to get the most out of your die cutting experience then you won't be disappointed! I can't wait to get my hard copy so that I can make a few notes in the convenient sections Ebony has peppered throughout the book - perfect for all the extra tips I've been picking up over the course of the book tour!

Don't forget to check out all the stops along the way - there are even a few chances to win yourself a copy of the book! If you'd like to read an excerpt, Ebony has one available here :)

• October 16th – Ebony Love, LoveBug Studios 
• October 17th – Jennifer Rodriguez, All Things Belle
• October 18th – Marjorie Busby, Marjorie’s Quilting Bee
• October 19th – Michelle Marr, Michelle’s Romantic Tangle
• October 20th – Tammy Tutterow, Sizzix Blog
• October 21st – Patsy Thompson, Patsy Thompson Designs
• October 22nd – Tracey Rampling, The Peony Teacup <-- You are here!
• October 23rd – Mary Fons, Hey Quilty!
• October 24th – Barb Gaddy, Bejeweled Quilts
• October 25th – Katrina Chapman Kahn, Sunshower Quilts
• October 26th – SewCal Gal, Insights from SewCalGal
• October 27th – Vanessa Wilson, The Crafty Gemini
• October 28th – Kelly Jackson, I Have a Notion
• October 29th – Connie Campbell, Freemotion By the River
• October 30th – Gene Black, An Alabama Quilter
• October 31st – Ebony Love, LoveBug Studios
• November 1st – Book Launch on Amazon!

Sensational Spring!

Spring and Autumn/Fall are my two favourite seasons. I love the changing colours and the more mild temperatures. I think that Spring probably just manages to gain the edge over Autumn though, because Spring is an amazing, glorious riot of colour and scent.

Ornamental Plum Blossoms

 We live in an area where there are a lot of orchards, so Spring always brings a patchworked landscape of hills covered in pink and white blossoms. It's so pretty when the blossom petals start to fall and gather like pink and white snowflakes.

Apple blossoms - I hope the birds don't get them all this year!

A bobtail lizard staying cool under the agapanthus

Gorgeous irises and lavender that we picked up at the local farmers market.

Aren't they gorgeous?

A Crimson Rosella just hanging out in our fig & mulberry tree.

Someone must have announced groundhog day... we went back to rain, and frozen toes!

The first poppies of the season

 I just love the poppies. They make me feel happy. The pink mop head poppies are my favourites (which I think I mentioned last year) and sadly we only got ONE single pink one again this year. I found a lady at the local markets who had some seeds for the pink poppies, so I'll have to scatter them in the garden soon in the hopes that next year I'll have more than one!

My lone pink poppy

 Last week we went to the local botanic gardens for a friend's birthday. We had a devonshire tea in the tea rooms and then let the kids run around and burn off some pent up school holiday energy! I keep forgetting how much I love the botanic garden.. which is dreadful as it's only 5 minutes from my house!

Fields of poppies!

There are lots of lovely water features around the park.. it's so tranquil and peaceful.. Except when you're chasing after 5 crazy kids!

Pansies are such adorable flowers.

You could imagine that you were a million miles from civilisation..

The Wisteria at the Tea Rooms. Divine.

And what could be a more tangible symbol of spring than baby chickens? Phillipa and I purchased 6x day old Golden Laced Wyandotte chicks between us in the hopes that we could graft them onto my broody bantam, Honeydew. Amateurs that we are, we tried too early and she hadn't been sitting for long enough, so now we're hand rearing them.

At 4-6 days old - some people have goldfish on their desks while they work, my husband had chickens.

2 weeks old - enjoying a week's holiday at Phillipa's while the kids and I spent a week with my Grandparents.

The chicks are now 3 weeks old and are comparatively huge, compared to when they first came home with us. They have lots of feathers and are spending the days outside in our "chicken palace". They love it when we let them out so they can explore. They have no fear and will attempt to fly from pretty much anywhere! Another week or so and they should be able to spend the nights outside too. Unfortunately, getting the chicks didn't solve my broody Honeydew issue.. so last week we picked up some fertilised Araucana X eggs (the blue/green ones) from another breeder close by and she's now happily sitting on those. 2 more weeks and we should have another 4 chicks to add to our "family"!

The kids love the chicks, and I love that they have the opportunity to experience raising and caring for the baby chicks - especially now that the bantams are bigger and prefer to do their own thing (and Bean is much more comfortable dealing with the smaller chicks - he loves Honeydew but finds her too big to handle).

My poppies, all out in their splendour.

Ahh Spring.. what a splendid thing!

September Craftsy BOM blocks

I was quite looking forward to the September Craftsy BOM blocks - curved piecing using the Drunkard's Path blocks! Naturally my first thought was whether I could adapt the pattern to use my Accuquilt GO! cutter and my Drunkard's Path die. Why yesindeedy.. with a little trimming.. and while trimming can be time consuming and tiresome, it *does* give better accuracy, so it all fell into place as if Amy Gibson had designed these blocks just so I could give Flo (my GO!) a workout!

Phillipa and Belinda also used Flo to cut their blocks, and we all pieced them using my Curvemaster foot. I *really* love that Curvemaster foot! No pinning, and magically accurate blocks. If you don't have one, and you want to sew something with a lot of curves, I'd highly recommend adding it to your toolkit.

September Block #1 - The Chain Block

I decided that I just wasn't feeling the love when it came to the Cleopatra's Puzzle block, so I took inspiration from one of the other ladies in the QCA Craftsy BOM facebook group. Sheila had put her block together with the print fabric in the centre, forming the pinwheel.. which I liked..

 ..until I laid it out in reverse, with the white fabric in the centre and the print fabric as the "background". I really loved how this block turned out, and once my plate is clear I'd love to play around in EQ7 with it as a whole quilt layout.. I think it would look awesome. But that's WAY down on my list of things to do atm!

I can't believe there are only two more blocks to complete and then it will be time to assemble to quilt top! The year has just flown by!

Pin it to Win it!

I'm not sure that Randi from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics knew what she was getting into when she decided to run a Pinterest competition.. I'm pretty sure that she's going to end up going broke from all the free fabric that she'll be posting out! Free fabric did you say? What are you talking about? Haven't you heard?

Well, the deal is this: Check out Randi's etsy store and pin any of her fat quarter bundles onto one of your pinterest boards. Get your friends to re-pin it so that you end up with a number of re-pins equivalent to the $ value of the bundle (eg $15 = 15 re-pins), and then you receive your bundle for free! Seriously? Seriously. The catch? You've only got until the 27th September (Thursday). Totally achievable!

The two bundles I've got on my wish list are (sadly, I can only "win" one! But I'll be happy either way):

Please re-pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/150237337540556582/ 

A gorgeous berry coloured FQ bundle featuring:

Quilter's Linen in Lavender, Robert Kaufman
Number Games in Bikini Pink
Empire Weave in Garnet, Heirloom
Foliage in Outplayed, Outfoxed
Tufts in Outsmarted, Outfoxed
Dumb Dot in Candy
Jewel in Dark Blue/Purple, Outfoxed
Kona in Candy Pink

Please re-pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/150237337540556637/ 

The "Perfectly Perched" full line of fabrics by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufman. Super cute, and I just can't get enough of those chairs!

If you have your own pinterest bundle you're hoping to win, please leave me a comment with the link to your bundle and I'll re-pin yours too :)

Here's to free fabric, ladies and gentlemen! (And thank you for running an awesome incentive, Randi!)

Getting things done..

I pieced my July & August Craftsy BOM blocks simultaneously so that I could save time and feel like I was being really productive. I really like the effect of the traditional dresden plate (especially with the pointed ends on the inside too) but they were very fiddly due to their size. If I was making another one I'd probably have fewer wedges that were a little fatter.

July Block #1 - Traditional Dresden Plate

July Block #2 - Modern Dresden Wheel

I used the "mock needle turn applique" technique that we used for the May QCA bee blocks with the dresden wheel instead of using homespun to back the wheel in order to give the nicely turned edge. The added bonus being that I was able to use the interfacing to fuse the dresden wheel & centre circle onto the background fabric/wheel and then simply top stitch around the edges. Perfect!

August Block #1 - Ohio Star

August Block #2 - Double Star

The August blocks went together quickly and easily. I actually ended up completing them before I finished the July blocks. I love the double star block - this one turned out gorgeously light and pretty, contrasting with the equally gorgeous but darker and more mysterious block that I made for Anorina's July bee block. Definitely a block I'd use again. The Ohio star was very quick and easy to piece, and I  loved the symmetrical effect I was able to achieve with the striped fabric in the hourglass blocks.

August QCA Bee Block for McKenna

Thank goodness the Feathered Star block is finished! It is such a beautiful looking block, but gave me such a hard time! Both Phillipa and I spent a lot of time cursing during construction, and even though I "completed" the block weeks ago, it looked terrible. I had to deconstruct it, adjust it and reconstruct it... and initially I just couldn't bring myself to do all that unpicking. This week I put my action pants on though and I'm pleased to say that it is now in McKenna's hot little hands. 

My test block for the Something Wicked This Way Comes blog hop :)

I finally managed to get a design banged out in EQ7 that I thought was able to be pieced, so I printed out my foundation templates and set to testing. Overall it went together exactly the way I'd hoped, and I just have a few lines to tweak before I make the second test block (hopefully the final block!). My husband thinks I should make some with different facial expressions... which I'll just knock up in all the spare time I have..... no worries, honey! Having said that, I have a couple of ideas on how I could tweak the block a little to give me atleast one more facial expression without a major redesign.

Giveaway winners

Thank you to everyone who entered my Practically Paper Pieced/Quilting Gallery Blog Hop Giveaway and my Blogiversary Giveaway! I really enjoyed reading about your paper piecing efforts and what fan related paper pieced blocks you'd like to try.

I'm still working on my first paper pieced pattern for the upcoming Halloween paper pieced blog hop - it's nearly ready for testing.. I think! I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time.. what if it doesn't work?! At least I've got another month to get it right, right?

But you want to know who won the Aurifil Thread Card and the Thimbleblossoms pattern, don't you? Well, without further ado:

The winner of the Aurifil Thread Card, according to Mr Random Number Generator is Karen from Sew Well Maide!

 And the winner of the Thimbleblossoms pattern is Laura, who chose the ever popular Swoon pattern!

Both winners have been contacted. 

Congratulations, ladies!

Sisterhood of the Travelling Stash, Part II (Farrah)

A few months ago I was lucky enough to be a part of the inaugural Australian Travelling Stash, "Sasha" organised by Cassie from Cass the Coolest. Sasha came to visit me quite early on (I was the second person to receive her!) and I've been following her evolution as she has travelled around the country. I'm really hoping that once she's returned to Cassie, Cass will decide to send her around again!

Sasha was so popular, and such a success amongst the Quilt Club Australia girls that Bronwyn from Stop that Owl started another travelling stash, dubbed "Farrah" (happiness) the Fat Quarter Stash. Bronwyn sent Farrah off with 50 assorted fat quarters, and she's been doing making her way across the countryside. Since I had enjoyed participating in Sasha's Stash, I couldn't say no to participating in Farrah!

Farrah arrived on my doorstep on Wednesday, which was a *lovely* surprise! She'd just been to visit Waverlee from Little Guinea Pigs.

A healthy 1.974kg worth of fabric!

 Oh the anticipation! There's something divine about getting to unwrap presents, isn't there?

 Once I'd unpacked Farrah I got to sort through and pick out all the pretties! Some of the fabrics were just so soft and lovely to the touch. It was a hard decision, but I finally narrowed my choices down to  17 fat quarters that I just "had to have".

Look at those pretty fat quarters!

A tower of pretties, all for me!

Once I'd made my fabric choices I had to raid my own stash to refill Farrah's coffers. I hope they find a happy home in someone else's stash!

Bye bye baby!

Farrah as she was when she departed - 2.006kg

 I mixed my fat quarters in with Farrah's, bundled her back up and got her ready to post off to her next stop... I can't tell you where she's off to though, it's a surprise!