Epping Quilters Sewmiriam Workshop

I had the great pleasure of teaching a Sewmiriam Pikelets Workshop with the wonderful Epping Quilters last Thursday. We had a fabulous day of sewing and inspiration. It never fails to delight me to see one pattern or technique being transformed by clever workshop attendees into unique and stunning quilt projects. 

This workshop was all about learning the tips and tricks to build the quilt as you go Sewmiriam Pikelets. This technique was shown to me by my friend Lynne and I have modified it to be charm pack and layer cake friendly, and worked out a few tricks to make it easier to make and assemble.

Here is my example of the Sewmiriam Pikelets Quilt front

               

And here is the back. It's hard to know which side I like best .Truly a double sided quilt. Got to love that!

Here are the wonderful Epping Quilters with their pikelet blocks in a Brady Bunch formation. 

 Let's take a closer look. Catherine chose fabulous modern prints. She says she is new to quilting, but she is a natural!

 Edna used some of her famous and highly coveted fabric stash to create these wonderful pikelets.

 Anne is so talented and used exquisite indigo Japanese and a bold red and gold background print for a wow effect.

Ros M also chose gorgeous Japanese fabrics with a charcoal background and the results were brilliant as you can see above.

 Monica used the most divine vintage florals for her pikelets and Margi used beautiful blues and buttery yellows for hers.

There was a definite feeling of Christmas in the air at the workshop. Wendy made this beauty 

and Lyn and Teresca created these festive lovelies

A productive day it was. Lots of fun and laughter too. Oh, and did I mention that we were spoilt with a delicious morning tea and lunch. The day was perfect in every way. Thank you Epping Quilters and well done!

Meanwhile, back at "Sewmiriam headquarters" I have been busy sewing up a storm as I prepare for the debut of 7 of my Sewmiriam Patterns at the Australian Quilt Market in Melbourne in November through Lynne Wilson of Highland Quiltwork Distributors. Watch this space!!!! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamxx 

RedBerry Quilters Workshop

Last Friday I had the great pleasure of working with the RedBerry Quilters. We had a marvellous day creating Sewmiriam Pikelets. These ladies are really talented and all came with fabric from their stashes that ranged from the softest of colour ways

to bold saturated brights...

Everyone made a wonderful start to what I know will become gorgeous quilts.

Let's have a closer look.

Carolyn worked on this beautiful baby quilt. I love these colours together and am equally in love with both the back  and the front of the blocks. 

Carol used fabrics from her stash to create these delightful Pikelets . Her use of a variety of low volume prints for the main fabric on the front of the blocks is a great variation to the pattern and is sure to be a stash buster! 

Ann is creating the most gentle quilt using soft pastel prints. My apologies for the shadows in these photos..... they don't do justice to how truly beautiful these blocks are 

Suzanne is stash busting in her Pikelets quilt, bringing a wide range of fabric pieces  together with this versatile small spot print as the focus fabric.

Julie decided to work way outside her comfort zone and use bright, saturated prints paired with a black on black focus fabric to create these stunning Pikelet sets. Well done Julie!

Congratulations to all the workshop attendees! As you can see by this sample of the workshop  blocks the RedBerry Quilters are a talented group of quilters . Everyone started off with a very different collection of fabrics but all worked with the same pattern to create unique and delightful blocks. I can't wait to see what these quilts look like when finished.

The generous RedBerry quilters make many quilts for their community and perhaps this pattern will be useful for quilt as you go community quilt projects in the future.

I hope that your week has also been filled with inspiration, and a moment or two of time for stitching.

 My mind  is now turned to this Saturday where I have my next workshop at Cottage Quiltworks.  Can't wait! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Pikelet Party

Today I am packing my bags in readiness for a Pikelet workshop tomorrow down in Berry with the RedBerry Quilters. It is all rather exciting! I have made a Pikelet Quilt in Japanese fabrics for Show and Tell.

This quilt as you go pattern is really so versatile. No two quilts are ever alike , and the back looks as good as the front.

So I have been airing my Pikelet quilts today in the wonderful Autumnal weather.

Yep - even the old 'ugly fabric stash' can have a makeover in this quilt pattern and be made to look gorgeous. 

It's a short blogpost this week , but with lots of Pikelet eye candy for you to enjoy. What's even better is that it's calorie free! If you like the look of these Pikelets and would like to learn how to make one of these quilts please contact me or Cottage Quiltworks and express your interest. 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx

Pikelets Workshop - a Celebration of Talent!

When a group of talented ladies gets together and sets to a day of fun sewing, the results are always bound to impress. The ladies who joined me for the Pikelets workshop last week at Cottage Quiltworks   are all amazing. Grab a coffee, or tea and enjoy this celebration of their work. This is a long post, but how could I not share these with you all!

I love the way this pattern allows the quilter to make it their own, by the choice of fabrics and the combinations they create. You can build on these blocks and make the finished product as small or as large as you desire. In just one day, each of the ladies had made at least one 4 pikelet rosette covering all the techniques needed to continue on with a larger project. The more they make, the quicker the process will become. Another great thing about this technique is that it creates a fully reversible quilt. Read on, and you will see what I mean. How can  you choose  which side to show as the front, when both look so stunning. 

Helen B created beautiful pieces using a selection of grays and taupes.

The back ..

The front ...

Josephine chose to use a variety of bright prints with a dark focus fabric for contrast. The effect was stunning . Here is the front..

Here is the back . I don't know about you, but I think I like them equally, so this pattern is indeed a truly reversible one. 

Louise wanted to create a table runner for a friend using Japanese fabrics. She is well on the way to making a gorgeous one.

The front...

The back....

Sue  has started to use up her stash of 'ugly fabrics' and is turning them into a fabulous quilt. Just goes to show what a talented quilter can do with fabrics that might  otherwise be never used or tossed! Well done Sue.

From this...

To this ! Scrappy quilts are always so engaging to look at. I love them, and I love this one Sue.

Tula Pink is a favourite fabric designer of mine, and Nancy chose a variety of her fabrics, paired with a gentle batik to creat this for the back.

And this for the front

Just imagine how beautiful the quilt will be when finished.

Dee is a wonderful quilter, who doesn't know just how good she is. Take a look at the beautiful work she did in just one day!

Here are her fabrics. Great combinations Dee... 

Here is her block. First the front

And just sit back and admire the back

Helen bought in a selection of Balinese style fabrics. She chopped them up and created these beauties. There is something ethereal about soft, worn batiks that I just adore. Imagine a loved one snuggling under this quilt when finished.

The front 

The back..

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blogpost as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. Thank you Sue, Louise, Helen, Helen B , Dee , Nancy and Josephine for such an enjoyable workshop. You make me humbled and proud to be a teacher.  

A long post for a long weekend here in Australia!! While watching the finals of AFL and the NRL, I may just get a bit of hand sewing done. Hope you do too! 

Happy sewing , love Miriamx 

Pikelet Flowers

My fascination with 'Pikelets' continues this week, but in Japanese fabrics with a focus on Indigo hues.

Last week I was still playing with Japanese fabric squares. This week I have put them together into what I like to call Pikelets.

Just for fun I put them in a pikelets stack ( calorie free!)

Then I started to put them together. They look like flowers and since it is the start of Spring, it is the perfect time for them to bloom.

Here are some of my favourites

These photos show what will be the back of the reversible quilt. The front will look something like this ( remember these blocks have yet to be joined together.) 

What to learn how to make ' Pikelets?'  Join me for a workshop at The Cottage Quiltworks at Warriewood  on either Wednesday, 23rd September, or Saturday 26th September. Contact the shop for details. These days are always fun, friendly and inspiring. 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx