Link Love: Winter is Coming

It’s school holidays here in Canberra which means I’m going to be hanging with my favourite five year old for the next two weeks. I’m really looking forward to having some quality time with him. I miss having him around when he’s at school. I’m not sure what we’re going to do together for two weeks. I’m thinking there’s going to be some trips out and about and maybe a playdate or two. He’s getting to that age where he’s now communicating more and more his personality and it’s resulting in some crack ups.

On the weekend we went to a local Farmer’s Market and on the way there Hubby and I were having a debate about where the event was located. Hubby went his way and it turned out that he was headed in the opposite direction of where we needed to be and so we had to turn around and back track. I was giving Hubby a good natured ribbing about getting lost when from the back seat a little voice pipes up with, “I feel like we’re going in circles.” Hubby and I cracked up laughing.

When we finally found the Farmer’s Market it was great. I’d forgotten how much I like just getting out and wondering through market stalls. We had the most amazing hot cinnamon croissant scroll. The weather has started to turn into winter this weekend and so the Market was cold and windy, but I still really enjoyed just being out and about. I do love the start of winter. I’m not such a fan of the middle of winter and by the end of it I want to move to Hawaii, but still it’s nice to have a change in the season.

I’m really enjoying my new work schedule and not having the massive amount of pressure on my shoulders that I’ve had for the past couple of years. It’s been really lovely to be able to do things at my own pace and put the focus on things that I’ve wanted to without feeling like I’m being pulled in multiple directions. I’ve got some fun things planned for the rest of the year and I’m enjoying working on them while not neglecting my family. Speaking of which, I’d better get a move on. The boys will be awake soon and I promised a certain little someone dinosaur shaped pancakes for the first day of school holidays! Wishing you a fabulous week filled with love, laughter and much fabric fondling!

#100Days100Blocks2018 is less than 100 days away and this year I’d like to use the event to help those that are starting out in our creative industry. If you’re a small business owner, pattern designer, author, podcaster, blogger in the creative industries then this is the opportunity for you. I’m offering free daily sponsorship spots (sponsorship of this event is normally something you’d have to purchase) to help promote those that are helping our industry stay alive and grow by going into business. If you’ve got something you’d like to promote then register your interest by clicking here.

If you have any questions about being involved in this event simply drop me an email and we can talk it through. I want to use this platform to help give you a voice and see our industry flourish.

I am addicted at the moment to little pouches for storing things in and I love this free tutorial from Spoonful of Sugar for making pretty little pouches. Click here to read more.

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Looking for a quilt block that delivers some fun with colour? Check out this free quilt block tutorial from Ellis & Higgs. Click here to read more.

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I’m planning on doing more stitching out and about this year and so I’ve become obsessed with cute needle books. Loving this free tutorial from Nana Company. Click here to read more.

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I love this free quilt pattern from Moda Bake Shop – great way to deliver a nice pop of colour! Click here to read more.

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If you’re wanting a bold and graphic jelly roll quilt pattern then check out this free pattern from Zen Chic. Click here to read more.

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 clucking: I love these little birds on this Japanese fabric. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

B. I’m melting: Loving this woodland animals print. Perfect for fussy cutting a round shape for square piecing. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

C. I’m reading: The perfect quilt kit for Heather Ross’ Kinder fabrics. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

D. I’m galloping: These colourful little horses are perfect for fussy cutting those small pieces in EPP. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

In 2018 I’m going to be travelling around Australia teaching people how to fussy cut and I can’t wait. If you’d like to take a class with me I have the follow classes currently available:

Fussy Cutting FUNdamentals @ Quilt NSW – Monday 14 May 10:00am to 3:00pm. Learn everything you need to know about how to fussy cut for patchwork and English Paper Piecing. We’ll cover Improvisational Fussy Cutting, Traditional Fussy Cutting and Fussy Cutting for Colour. I’ll talk about fabric selection (including how to work out exactly how much to buy), colour theory and where to find those unusual prints to make your work pop. To book click here. (Please note: this is the ONLY class I’ll be teaching in Sydney in 2018!)
Fussy Cutting FUNdamentals @ Hobbysew Belconnen – Sunday 20 May 10:30am to 3:30pm. Learn everything you need to know about how to fussy cut for patchwork and English Paper Piecing. We’ll cover Improvisational Fussy Cutting, Traditional Fussy Cutting and Fussy Cutting for Colour. I’ll talk about fabric selection (including how to work out exactly how much to buy), colour theory and where to find those unusual prints to make your work pop. To book click here or call the store on (02) 6253 0011.
Amazeballs Tote Bag @ Hobbysew Belconnen – Sunday 10 June 10:30am to 3:30pm. Using the Amazeballs Tote pattern from my book, Fussy Cutters Club, we’ll learn all about improvisational fussy cutting to make unique and one-of-a-kind projects. Participants will learn basic bag construction and techniques for adding fussy cutting to all their projects. To book click here or call the store on (02) 6253 0011.

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 fabulous Lucy from Charm About You has released a new mini quilt pattern, Trenton Block. It’s an old school quilt block which I love and is perfect for hand stitching. You can purchase it on Etsy by clicking 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!