Hugs from Helen

Craftsy excitement!

Remember my whirlwind trip to Denver just before Christmas?

Well I'm excited to say now that it was to tape a Craftsy class!

What an experience. This was the most professional platform I’ve worked with before – but it was also a lot of fun. The whole team made me feel so welcome and the whole experience was wonderful.

To back up a bit, I had met the Craftsy girls at a party in Portland years ago – their first year at market, and was given a card and asked to submit proposals. Of course, it dropped down the list and it took me a few years to find the card, go through an extensive submission process and put a class in. They were immediately interested however I couldn’t make it to Houston to discuss it further and the opportunity disappeared. A whole year later I finally got around to submitting again, I spent a day putting the first technique submission in and planned to do three more the next day… however I woke up to an acceptance that morning – my class was accepted!  If I could fill a very short notice cancellation….  of course I said yes…

So now its official, by this time next week……

So after a lot of prep work, many hours of Skype calls in between dance concerts, end of year assemblies and Christmas parties, I hit the skies and headed to Denver.

Had hair and makeup done each day…..(thankfully!)

and the nails done before I left! – just as well, look how close they got?

and hopefully everyone will understand my Aussie accent and ‘foreign’ language.

now, if you’re not familiar with Craftsy – it is an online platform for education classes – In actual fact Craftsy is the fastest growing crafty community on the web with over 5 million members in over 200 countries worldwide.

With a Craftsy online class you can take it as many times as you want, whenever you want and access never expires.  Craftsy’s platform enables you to take virtual notes while watching a class and the HD quality video and audio make it easy to see exactly how the instructor is creating the craft, with close-ups of the different steps. Instructors and other students will answer your questions and give feedback. 

So now that I’ve told you my big news, I have more to tell…you can win a free class  - just click on this link and enter..

http://www.craftsy.com/ext/HelenStubbings_Giveaway

Of course I’ll be back to tell you more when the class goes live next week….

 

so don’t miss out – click to enter and

hugs for today

Helen

JellyRoll Sands–free quilt pattern/tute

if you follow me on instagram you may have seen some progress shots as I made this little quilt a week or two ago..

well, it is now complete and I am pleased to say I have decided to do a free tute on it for you…

It started with this!  A 2 1/2” strip set of Primrose Sands for Red Rooster Fabrics – available in Australia through Two Green Zebras, many stores may have these – if you cannot find one – I have some!!!!

- and is based on this block I made up – don’t you think it looks like an ‘H’ for Helen… or others suggested a chair… anyway, its simple and comes together easily.

So we start by choosing 16 strips – there are 17 in the pack so choose which one to leave out.

Lay them all out at once on your cutting board. I left them folded (thats how they come on the roll) and layered them up to three in each layer approx.

Using your ruler and rotary cutter trim off the selvedge ends evenly.

Then you are going to cut from the left of the strip:

8 1/2”           3 1/2”         2”

Then open out your folded ends and again stack them.

cut from the left:

8 1/2”        3 1/2”       2”

You should now have from each colour

3 strips 8 1/2”, 3 strips 3 1/2” and 3 strips 2”

Each colour fabric will be in three blocks. So you need to take one of each size and match them up into pairs. eg.that is as in the picture below – I have paired the dark red and the stripe together – you can pair these three times or you can do a total mixup of colours.

Next: your sashing fabric – I used white.

Cut 14 strips 1 1/2” x wof (width of fabric)

Now two choices here – you can either

Cross cut them (in piles- as many layers as you can handle)

to make:

50 strips 1 1/2” x 4 1/2”

75 strips 1 1/2” x 2 1/2”

 

Or simply sew together in the following manner:

Take half of your coloured 2” x 2 1/2” strips (one fabric from each pair) – place them right sides together on a long white sashing strip (the longer – 2 1/2” edge is on the white strip) Stitch. continue to chain stitch all of your pieces onto the long white strips. Trim them apart and press seams to the coloured fabric.

 

Now take the opposite remaining fabric from your pairs and sew in the same manner on the other side of your white sashing strip. again press to colour

Next you are going to stitch these units onto another long white sashing strip. Just chain piece them through again.

Trim them apart and press to the SASHING. Repeat this by stitching the other side of your unit to another strip of white fabric and press open to SASHING.

In the same manner as above stitch the short end (2 1/2”) of every 3 1/2” colour fabric piece to a white sashing strip. Trim apart and press to colour.

Lay all of your units back into their piles with matching pairs.

Attach a matching unit to the left of all centre blocks. Press open.

Make sure those seams line up  - this should be easy if you have press as above as the seams will be mirrored.

Repeat with the matching unit on the other end. You now have 24 of these units.

Finally you will add the 8 1/2” matching strips to the top and bottom.

Next step is to layout all of your blocks out on the floor to decide placement. Each alternate blocks rotates 90 degrees.

Cut from white sashing fabric:

15 strips 1 1/2” x wof.

Cross cut six of them to make 25 strips 1 1/2” x 8 1/2”

Join a white sashing strip between blocks as per the photo below. press all seams to blocks.

Join the remaining strips together to make one long strip.

Attach strip to the left edge of your first row and trim off at the bottom. Take care not to stretch as you sew ( this is cheating, really we should cut the strips to length and pin every quarter to make sure we are not stretching either seam – if you’d prefer to do this they should mathematically be cut at 53 1/2”)

Repeat between all rows until they are sewn together into one unit.

You should have enough white strip left to attach to the top and bottom of your quilt top.

tada, your top is done in just a few hours.. now to layer and quilt – but that’s a whole ‘nother story…

Well I’m off to the Australian Quilt market in Melbourne tomorrow (trade show where we show all of our wonderful shops what we have new to order for you) – so I will leave you with this and tell them all to order their rolls whilst they are there for you.

I have some here  - only $25 while stocks last – not on the website so you’ll need to phone or email Lori to bags one..

hugs for today – off to pack some clothes…

Helen

footnote: requirements for this size are:

One Primrose Sands 2 1/2” strip roll

75”/1.9m white sashing fabric

13”/35cm stripe binding fabric.

Quilt measures 37” x 55” /  93x138cm approx

Love Thy Neighbour quilt

yesterday was dark and dreary in Hobart, wet, wild and windy also… perfect quilting weather so I delved into my stash – I had a quilt wanting for my lovely neighbour who has recently moved into a nursing home… not too big, not too heavy, warm and snuggly to make her room feel more homely…

We always have fabric that we no longer love, or was a gift or prize (in my case) that possibly isn't our favourite anymore… I know I have ‘lots’ of this type of fabric, not my first choice but perfect for someone out there…So I just had to make it work..as I had no shops open nearby.

I chose to recreate a quilt I’d  made in a swap group years ago, it still sits on my lounge chair and has worn well. It wasn't a pattern or a class so to speak we just made it as a group from memory. So I took a close look to remember how I made it and off I went.. with a few little changes…

And as I had my trusty phone nearby I took some quick snaps and thought you might like to delve into your stash and make one along with me… whether for a neighbour, a friend or just a fresh lap quilt for the winter…

So, I chose a colourway with darks and mediums… I only had four prints but you can use as many as you like, then you just need a contrast or plain for the ‘sashing’

From your plain or contrast fabric cut enough squares 6 1/2” x 6 1/2” to the size you want your quilt to be. Mine is five rows of seven blocks = 35 squares to cut.then from your coloured fabrics cut 70 various squares 5 1/2” x 5 1/2”

on the back of every coloured square mark with a ceramic or marking pencil diagonally from corner to corner

then using a ruler draw another line 1/2” from the centre line.

place a square right sides together onto one corner of your 6 1/2” plain square with two raw edges even. Stitch down the centre line. Just keep feeding them through (chain piecing) until you have completed half of your plain squares.

then go back to the beginning of your string and stitch down the second line which is 1/2” closer to the corner than the centre line.

press and then use your ruler and cutter to cut in between each stitch line – this will leave a 1/4” seam allowance on each piece.

take to the ironing board and press each unit open. Press directly outwards from the seam – it is a bias seam so you don’t want to stretch them out of shape.

You will end up with a half square triangle unit and a half unit thingy (not sure what to call it?).

put your half square triangles aside and take the other thingy units back to the machine. Repeat the first step with the other half of your coloured squares.

And that’s about as far as I got yesterday before a great band at the local pub called to me!

 

I will be back with part two shortly… in the meantime have a play with your layouts and if necessary (I have run out of the 1/2m lemon sashing) find another fabric to use as a border…see how they look when you put them together? a great criss cross lattice look.

 

btw, for those who will ask – this fabric was from Laura Ashley’s ‘Melrose’ collection and was gifted to me as a prize (not sure which show?) by Quilting Treasures in about 2009… see, don’t throw anything out ,it will one day be perfect for that Love Thy Neighbour quilt.

hugs for today

Helen

my word - DREAM

I am a big dreamer…. and I dream big! but I think that is okay isn't it?  My problem is that I can dream big things but then I procrastinate and lose confidence that I would ever be capable of realising those dreams..and so I leave them floating…and find other things to delay their realisation..

Walt Disney said:

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

So its courage and confidence I have searched for to pursue my long time dream of:

yes yes yes…. my very own fabric…It has been a long time in coming, I know, there were so many other dreams, plans and obstacles (the main one being me) that got in the way of this… If I was going to do it I wanted to do it my way… baby steps, learning the process, teaching myself every step of the way – to the final point – my name on a selvedge!

Strike offs have arrived, a few minor colour changes and I will be so excited to show you all at Spring Market in Kansas when it is released…for now I have been given permission to let you in on my little secret…just a small range to start with (believe me once I finally started I could have just kept going)… I do hope you will all love it!

so, there is so much to do…. patterns to design, make and write, a booth to design and prepare, Schoolhouse and Take and Teach kits to prepare, this is all very exciting but scary at the same time…. and I am dreaming about it every night!

I need to keep reminding myself of Joy Page’s words:

‘Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.’

jumping up and down with excitement hugs today as  I can finally show you..

Helen

Words

If you follow me on Facebook you will know that I am stitching words….

Words are a very powerful thing. More powerful than money, more powerful than men, more powerful than war…

They can be inspiring, educational, hurtful, encouraging, damaging, shortlived or memorable, happy, helpful or life changing.

Words have featured from day one in Hugs ‘n Kisses designs and thoughts. Simple feelgood phrases and sayings, just because, just to make you feel uplifted as you stitch. On reflection any designs with words have been the most popular, so you must like them also..

Society seems to be realising the impact that words can have, look in any catalogue, home dec store, stationary store and you will see designers using words so I am not alone..

so yes, I am stitching words, good words… soon you will see them….

hope they make your day good. Soon I’ll tell you about a BIG word in my life…

hugs

Helen

the big reveal-great excitement

I am soooo excited to finally show you something that I have been secretly working on for the past few months – some of you may have happened upon it, some have tested for me and for others it will be, hopefully, a nice surprise…

You would have noticed my new blog header, maybe some new facebook branding, even some updated logos – all leading to the penultimate and much overdue – NEW WEBSITE!!!

This has been such a huge project and learning curve at the same time, but I have now total control over it  - and I like it – hope you do too.

a few more things to come still but we have enough ready to officially ‘launch’….

I especially like the little favicon – that sits up in your address bar so you can easily see what tab it is on – if you are like me and have 50 tabs open at once!!

Now if you are wanting something - always ask at your local quilt shop first to support them – they are all listed on the site – but if you can’t find it is now all here happily for you.

so pop over and visit and let me know what you think, if you do happen to find any issues or broken links – please let me know

I will be adding more exciting and useful things to it as we go, let me know if there is anything in particular you’d like to see.

of course this deserves a partaaaaayyyyy don’t you think?

so, what can I put in the party bags?  Okay the first ten orders will get a bonus pattern PLUS all orders from now until midnight Friday will be 10% off – we will adjust the amount on processing as I haven't worked out the discount code part yet!

happy browsing.

hugs from a happy Helen who is keen to get back to designing and stitching now.

PS: I have to say a HUGE public thanks to my sister Tracey Browning for learning along with me (and teaching me) with this site – she has done ALL the backend and setup and is much better at all the coding stuff than me..Don’t go running to her to do a site for you though, I think she is over it and I owe her big time…

true friends

sorry I have been neglecting to pop in and say hi as I get increasingly more panicked with only two weeks to go until I hit the skies destined for Salt Lake City… thought I’d quickly show you a few peeks of what to look forward to once things settle down..

   

and to say publicly that friends who offer a helping hand in times of panic are truly special….. how could I survive without them – you know who you are…

hugs for today

Helen

back to stitching

before I was a quilter and designer I was an embroiderer…ribbon, wool, crewel, bullion, hardanger, whitework, candlewicking  - anything I could cram into my spare minutes! I even had a little business teaching and designing wonderful intricate projects… I have found myself recently referring back to my embroidery days for inspiration and a need to expand and challenge boundaries from the simple backstitch .

I am thinking/hoping that many of you also are ready to move to the next step and would also love to experiment with a few more stitches or just stitch a little more involved projects – not too hard, just one step at a time..

here are a few peeks of some projects coming up for the Inspired Stitches weekend in Adelaide in July and a new pattern or two.

 

hope they get your creative juices flowing.

hugs and happy stitching

Helen

design inspiration everywhere

I have been busy finalising  my new class for AMQF – Very Own Virtuoso,  I managed to collect more photos when in Melbourne last week. Really, there are designs absolutely everywhere you look in our wonderful buildings, heritage and infrastructure…I could design all day everyday (if my Fairy Godmother would do all the other menial tasks for me)

View Full Album

what has your inspiration been today?

hugs, Helen

Be your own Virtuoso

As stated in my last post I have been busy working up a new version of my Very Own Virtuoso class. I hear so often ‘I cant draw to save myself’ , ‘I could never draw or design anything like that!’. Well, although I believe anyone can learn to draw, this class has been developed for those of you who don’t have the confidence to start…. cos, maybe you cant draw, but you can trace!

As a designer I see potential designs and inspiration everywhere I go and always have my camera or sketchpad at hand… travelling around the world each country has its own design elements and architectural styles also – now I haven’t been to many  countries but where I have been I have snapped happily – one day I hope to get to many more and add to my photo and design stash! – but I have more than enough to work from for myself and to share with you all.

So, how do I start?  Well I enlarge and print my photos, just in black and white from a photocopier or printer – not as a photo…

Then pick out the main individual design features and use a black sharpie to outline… there you have it, the first design element…

then with the help of rulers, grids, tracing paper and time the options are endless….

I have hundreds of these!!!

and hundreds more in my photo albums…..

View Full Album

now, can someone give me hundreds more spare hours so i can stitch and colour or appliqué all of these ideas into quilts!

If you come to any of my design classes you are able to use my design element package already done for you to make a wholecloth design on the day – you will then know exactly how to start your own portfolio… imagine that, your very own design portfolio.. and you said you couldn’t draw! Before you know it you will be designing your very own original elements and adding to the architectural styles of the world.

happy inspirations, hope I may be able to share and help you with your designing process one day at a class somewhere..

hugs, Helen – back to drawing for me now…

I always agonise about Copyright as I am very respectful of this. So if you are  concerned about using this process here is some information from the Australian Copyright site.

Do I need permission to photograph or draw public art?

You may draw, paint, photograph or film a sculpture or work of artistic craftsmanship which is publicly displayed “other than temporarily” without permission from the copyright owner. This does not apply to other public art, such as murals. You may draw, paint, photograph or film a building without permission.