Polly & Pippa the Pillow Dolls

You may have seen earlier in the week my attempt at Lisa Tilse's "Frankie" Pillow Doll (as seen in Australian Homespun Magazine) who I named Polly, as I mentioned I have to make 2 because of my impending twin girls! Everything in double! Thought I would show you the finished product of the 2nd doll who we've dubbed Pippa. Let me know what you think? I think my girls will love them!

Charm Packs & Jelly Rolls - A Cheats Guide to Patchwork

I have a few readers who want to learn the art of quilting & patchwork, and yes it really is a bit of an ART if you take it very seriously (of course you don't have to take it seriously!!). There are alot of amazing quilters out there that are creating patchwork quilts that are nothing short of painstakingly intricate, time consuming & of course the results breathtaking. One of my favourite quilters is Sarah Fielke, you can see some of her inticate inspiring work below.

Of course I don't think I would ever have the patience or stamina to create such wonders....as I've said in the past I'm more of a plain square patchwork kind of girl, and you know if you made your quilt with love then that's all that matters.

 

Start small, start easy! 

My friend Hannah who has only just recently purchased her first sewing machine whipped up the below GORGEOUS patchwork cushion! The front is patchwork & the back is just a neutral fabric & she has designed it like a normal everyday pillow case. As per the 2nd photo you can see she has an opening on 1 end & a simple flap to hold the pillow inside! Very clever & very easy! no zips required! 

Let us know what you think of Hannah's cushion in our comments area below!

Charm Packs 

Making it even easier Hannah purchased her fabrics as a "Charm Pack" from an online shop called Busy Thimbles, they have a cute aray of Charm Packs & Jelly Rolls.

What's a Charm Pack?... Charm Packs are pre-cut packs of fabric squares of beautiful coordinating fabrics, this takes the guess work out of matching/coordinating fabrics & cutting all the squares, the fabric pieces are ready to sew! See below some pretty packs

Jelly Rolls
Or if you want to go even easier you could buy a Jelly Roll, this is a roll of pre-cut, coordinating fabrics already sewn into a line, so all you need to do is sew your lines together to create a larger scale quilt. Of course I find the later TOO easy & to be honest that takes alot of the fun out of it!! 

You could make a very cute cushion like my friend Hannah made in no time! Shop at Busy Thimbles OR simply google "Charm Packs" you'll be spoilt for choice! After some practice on patchworking some small home wares like cushions you can then try your hand at a larger scale quilt. Good Luck! & Be sure to upload any of your creations to the Sweet Mary Flickr Photo Group

Best Online Fabric Store

A few people have been asking me where is the best place to buy fabrics online. By far the number 1 Australian based shop I've come across is Funky Fabrix, run by Shona & Jason in Brisbane.
You can actually visit their shop in Brisbane, so if you're a local you can pop into the store (I dream of going some day!) but for the rest of us outside of Brisbane all their amazing fabrics can be purchased from their online shop!! To explore all the amazing fabric finds click here to SHOP

The online shop is amazing in the way it is categorized into styles, collections, designers, colours etc so it's very easy if you are after something specific or otherwise just browse the hundreds of fabrics.....

Here are some of the fabrics I have purchased since discovering the store, most of these were from Funky Fabrix with just a few coming from overseas designers. The other great thing is the online shop is always having a sale or providing incentives to buy like free postage which is great!

You can also visit the Funky Fabrix Blog

They also have a sister site specialising in vintage fabrics check it out here at 100Vintage

Share your sewing creations HERE!!

Sweet Mary's photo sharing on Flickr.

We've love to see your home made creations so please upload any of your projects here in the Sweet Mary Photo Group! Simply "JOIN" the group & then "ADD PHOTOS" to share your pics!

The Lucille Bag

Interested in sewing a gorgeous bag? Found this cute bag called The Lucille Bag on Abbey Lane Quilts website. If you are interested in the pattern you can buy it HERE
Think it would make a gorgeous nappy tote!

Cosmo Cricket Delights

I've always been a huge fan of the vintage styling of Cosmo Cricket's fabrics! I have just discovered they also have a gorgeous stationery range that would put a smile on anyone's face!

 These beautifully crafted cards are just a treat for the eye!

 You can check out the fabric & stationery store for Cosmo Cricket HERE

Pillow Dolls

So as per my post last week with the cute "Frankie" pillow doll I saw in Homespun Magazine, I have come up with my own girl version! she's a bit different in a few ways as I wanted to make her unique! I've done this first one & plan to do a 2nd blonde haired one (1 of each of my twins) Will make sure I post more photos of the 2nd Pillow Doll when she's finished!
Let me know what you think, leave a comment!