by Helen on September 5, 2012
Sometimes it can be hard to let go. Even when you know you should … indeed that you must. Every last stitch has been finished, every single thread has been snipped and the last binding on the corner carefully stitched into place. But now the time has come to admit to myself that there’s nothing more to be done – one of my most favouritest projects ever – my Rosie & Bear Diamond Jubilee Quilt is complete.
This has been a work in progress for the last 6 months, and I’ve been sharing the designs with my e-zine subscribers on a monthly basis. The quilt commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and comprises 12 blocks – one is the Royal Coat of Arms and the remaining 11 are countries of the Commonwealth, with a special “Friendship” block to reflect the USA’s friendship with Commonwealth countries.
In the embroidered blocks Rosie & Bear had lots of adventures! They met a koala in Australia and an elephant in India, whilst Bear got rather closer than he might have liked to a lovely young lioness in South Africa. They swam in Mozambique and sailed in Barbados, and even watched some rugby in (current world champions) New Zealand before meeting George Washington himself.
I’m currently in the middle of combining the patterns and all my notes on the project into a new book – and if you’d like to learn more about it when published please do sign up for my free newsletter as I’ll be keeping everyone informed that way. There’s a form in the right-hand sidebar. I’ll really miss my quilt, but will just have to fill my stitching time in other ways ……
by Helen on August 23, 2012
If you haven’t found my friend Jenny’s blog yet – I highly recommend popping over for a visit. Jenny is an amazingly talented designer and is the creative powerhouse behind “Elefantz”. She embroiders, and quilts, and is also a great cook! You might wonder how I know this, as she is in Australia and we have only met in cyberspace – but I know because she shares her recipes with readers – I’ve tried a few and they are DELICIOUS!
Jenny is having a giveaway on her blog at the moment – for a pdf copy of my Around the Year Quilt Book.
To be in with a chance to win all you have to do is pop across and leave a comment – just CLICK HERE to take a look. I would highly recommend that you make a cup of tea first though, and settle comfortably into your chair, because once you arrive I think you’ll want to stay and have a look at Jenny’s lovely pages – which could take quite some time!
by Helen on July 28, 2012
At last … my Rosie & Bear quilt book is finished! It’s been a long time coming, but I hope you’ll agree it’s been worth the wait. It contains all 12 Rosie and Bear calendar blocks, a new updated chapter on how to embroider fur, together with full instructions for piecing the top … oh, and even a Rosie & Bear label for the back!
It’s fully illustrated in colour throughout and runs to nearly 100 pages!! It’s available to purchase as an instant download here on the Bustle & Sew website – just CLICK HERE to learn more. Or …..
you can purchase it as a “proper” printed book on Amazon -
It’s listed HERE on Amazon.com, or if you’re in the UK, you can find it HERE. PS Furry “helper” in the picture above is not included!
by Helen on December 11, 2011
I am sure that many readers will already be familiar with the wonderful
Letters from Father Christmas
from JRR Tolkien – the collection of letters his lucky children received from the North Pole during the 1930s and 40s.
They are lavishly illustrated in typical Tolkien style and have lost none of their freshness and appeal over the years. I have long enjoyed this classic, and this year I discovered to my delight that as well as
paperback and a
version with real pull-out letters, this lovely book is now available on
Kindle. This means I can enjoy it on my ipad and zoom in to see all the details that I can’t always quite make out (yes, I have reached the age of reading glasses!) in the printed book.
I have noticed that more illustrated books are now appearing in kindle versions – I guess that’s as tablet computers are becoming more popular and affordable. I know that
Kirsty Allsopp’s “Craft” book is also on Kindle – does anyone else know any other nice books available in this format?
(Apart from my own
Hints & Tips book, that is !!!) Please do leave a comment below if you can recommend some nice crafty or Christmas Kindle reading for me – I’d love to hear what you’re enjoying this year, and maybe try them for myself.
Oh, and I will have some exciting news to share tomorrow, another free Bustle & Sew Christmas project - but this one is in aid of a very good cause. Here’s a sneak preview for you …
