Link Love: Missed Snow Days

The first week of the school holidays is done and dusted and I feel like we’ve done nothing. We had big plans to go to the snow, but the weather interfered with that plan so we’ve been land locked at home. The boys seem to be having a great time but I’m torn between really needing to work and wanting to do nothing all day. I’m all for having some down time, but with HUBBY being home the past month I feel like all I’ve done lately is have down time and I really can’t afford it. So I’m balancing my time between working on the top three priorities for the day and then spending some time just chilling.

My final column for Love Patchwork & Quilting arrived in the post last week. It’s been 3 years and 38 issues of sharing my insights, tips and tricks and just generally enjoying being part of such an amazing production team. I’m really proud of the work that I did for LPQ and it taught me a lot about who I am, what I want to be doing, what I don’t want to be doing and that I should always trust my gut. While I’ll miss being part of something bigger than me, I’m really enjoying being able to point to that big stack of magazines and say “I did that” while looking forward at all the things I’m yet to do.

I’ve been thinking a lot this past week about my place in the world, about all the different goals and dreams we all have and how we can work together to achieve those goals. I’ve spent some time trying to get clear in my head how I can use this platform that I’ve made to help us all reach the goals we want and how to promote a community of kindness, support and inspiration. I’m not really sure what it’ll look like, but I can feel something swirly underneath the everyday hustle and bustle and it’s exciting. In the meantime, I have quilt blocks to sew, our first winner to find for #100Days100Blocks2018 and some secret squirrel stuff that I can’t wait to announce to work on. Wishing you a week filled with love, laughter and much fabric fondling!

Want to get in on all those cats on quilts photos but you don’t want an actual cat. Check out this super cute sock cat tutorial from My Pastel Cafe. Click here to read more.

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Reusable lunch bags are a big thing at the moment and I love this tutorial for the speedy-stitch gift bag on Tutorial.Net. You could use plastic lined cloth to make it for your kids lunches. Click here to read more.

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I love this tutorial for butterfly dress up wings by Amber at Crazy Little Projects. Great for Halloween costumes or just because. I might have to upscale them to make my own set! Click here to read more.

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Need a bag that you can carry everything in for those sit and sew days? Or maybe you’re looking for a new grocery bag. Check out this free pattern from Sara at Sew Sweetness. (Please note: You have to sign up to her mailing list to get it.) Click here to read more.

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I’m a big fan of the traditional bear paw block and I love this tutorial from Jeni at In Color Order for making a large scale scrappy bear paw. Click here to read more.

My last teaching appearance for 2018 is here, so make sure you don’t miss out! I’m going to be teaching at the Quilter’s Gathering for Marilyn’s Patchwork Corner August 24 – 26. It’s a fabulous 2 day workshop event on the beautiful coast of NSW. Here’s the details in a nutshell

• Where: Ex-Serviceman’s Club in Ulladulla, NSW
• When: August 24 – 26 2018
• Cost: $300
• Includes: Welcome Dinner (Friday Night), Show + Tell Dinner (Saturday Night), Lunch and Morning/Afternoon refreshments.
• Teachers: Beth and Trevor Reid, Catherine Butterworth, Deidrie Bond-Able, Kris Rollag, Mandy Murray, Paula Storm, Sue Bennett and Wendy Williams.
• What You’ll Learn from Me: All about Fussy Cutting for traditional patchwork, improvisation patchwork, seamless pattern matching and how to shop for fabrics and use your stash all while making fabulous quilt blocks and the Totes Amazeballs tote bag (not pictured).

To book your place call Marilyn’s Patchwork Corner on (02) 4455 4229 or (02) 4456 1163. It’s going to be a great event and I can’t wait to spend some time sharing, learning and hanging out on the beautiful coast of NSW.

I love to share the cool things that I find during my week of surfing the internet window-shopping and splurging. Here’s my top 4 from this week:

A: I’m stitching: There’s something so good about slow stitching and I love this koala cross stitch kit for it’s quick and easy slow stitching fix. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

B: I’m embracing: I love this pin and it’s message so much that I set my alarm to get up at 2am to buy it when it was first released. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

C: I’m coveting: I love Sarah Jane fabrics and this limited edition bundle that contains out-of-print fabrics is a must have. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

D: I’m obsessing: If you love a good rainbow (and who doesn’t) then check out this amazing quilt pattern by Michelle McKillop. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

Have you got an event, a charity drive, a pattern release, a class schedule or something else that you think my community would be interested in hearing about? Why not drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to share it with my readers. Click here to email me.

• The Annual Berry Quilting Retreat is happening 18 & 19 August 2018. The event has a great line up of textile and fibre artists who’ll be teaching an amazing array of skills and techniques. You can find out more by clicking here.
• Margaret Eagles has written two books for quilters. The first one “Made with love. The story of your quilt” replaces a card when giving a quilt as a gift. The maker personalities the book with fabric and photos of the making of the quilt. The second book is a children’s book “My Grandma makes patchwork quilts”. It tells the story of a bond between a Grandmother and her grandchild and their shared love of fabric and play. To find out more (and purchase) click here.
• Andrea, from 3rd Story Workshop, has collaborated with award-winning singer-songwriter Meaghan Smith to launch the Our Song, Your Reflection project. Andrea has created a quilt design and Meaghan has created a song that speaks about the importance of community and the human connections that we make. The project is structured as an IndieGoGo campaign so that people can preorder the pattern and/or fabric kit, get limited-edition project swag, and other fun perks. But most importantly, the campaign gives people the opportunity to submit a photo of one of their quilts or of their quilting community to be included in the final music video. You can find out more about it by clicking here.
• Sam Hunter of Hunter’s Design Studio has released a collaborative quilt with Lisa Congdon called “Show Up”. It’s a really great quilt (with lots of fussy cutting possibilities) and is available for purchase by clicking here. Sign up to Sam’s newsletter as well so you can find out all the details about an upcoming sew-along to make the quilt.
• Stephanie of Modern Sewciety and Natalie of Sew Hungry Hippie have teamed up for a Dress-A-Long. June is the Metamorphic dress by Sew Liberated.  July is the Painted Portrait Dress by Anna Maria Horner. It looks to be a great event where you can learn new skills, make clothes you love and have a great time while doing it. To find out more click here.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a very small commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link, in fact in some cases I can offer you a better price via an affiliate link. I will not recommend something that I do not use myself. These commissions help me keep being able to provide you with great content for free. Thank you, in advance for your support!