Fiona Marie's Thread

Sew Laugh Love

This lovely pattern designed by Leanne Beasley is now available:

Finished size of stitchery panel: 10" x 14" (25.5cm x 35.5cm)

There are three options available:

Option 1: Pattern - $25.00

Includes a traceable pattern sheet, a full colour A4 sample and instructions. 

Option 2: Companion Kit - $35.00

This kit has the design screen-printed on Hanky Linen plus a full skein of all 12 Cosmo colours used. It does not include any further instructions or colourcharts however there is a colour photo on the front.

Option 3: Pattern and companion kit - $55.00

Please email me with the option you would like and I will send through a payment link for paypal account holders and those wanting to pay by credit card.

I also have more pattern kits available for the pieced hexagon pin cushion.

Option 1: Basic kit with instructions, plastic template and 2" paper hexagons - $10.00

Option 2: Basic kit above plus the Sewline fabric glue pen with refill - $23.95

Again please email me with your order requests info@fionamarie.com

What have I been up to? I'm afraid I have been heading off on a tangent again. Some friends are just a bad influence...you know who you are.

I have also ordered Rosalie Quinlan's latest stitchery kit Hope Love Friendship. The version currently available is the pink thread on white linen. The kit will sell for $39.95 and can be viewed on her blog here.

Happy stitching!

Fiona Marie Clark

Baskets, buttons & beads...

I have had fun over the last couple of days sewing fabric baskets to keep my ever growing store of bits and pieces in. I had a supply of 23cm diameter circles from one of Amy Butlers fabric ranges in my stash that I had kept from an abandoned project. Using two circles wrong sides together with a circle of batting between I gave them a quick machine quilt (lines, grid, pie segments etc.) and then using a strong thread ran a gathering thread around the outside edge. Once I had pulled it in to suit the shape I wanted I used some of my excess quilt bias binding to finish off the raw edge. I sprayed on a little starch to stiffen them on completion and this is the result.

I did pick the idea up from someone's blog but I haven't been able to remember where I found it - sorry!

The gorgeous buttons in this basket I paid $2.00 for in a second hand shop. They are very vintage and were an exciting find. The lovely crocheted flowers pictured above were also a second hand shop find along with some very old crochet cotton. The beads came from a Wellington City bead shop who had a 'fill a bag for $10.00' special.

I have also stitched a contemporary paper pieced hexagon pin cushion. I tossed around the idea of embellishing the top with a cute wool felt folly but then decided I liked the clean look. It is both modern and practical. It also allows you to feature a really cool piece of fabric in the top hexagon...and there is plenty of cool fabrics to choose from. Better yet, you only need a scrap. The finished pin cushion is 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8").

If you would like the pattern instructions with 8 x 2" paper hexagons (they can be reused), and a plastic fabric cutting template please email me at info@fionamarie.com. The little kit will be selling for $10.00 plus p&h ($1.50 in NZ, $3.00 AU, and $4.00 rest of the world.) If you like to glue your fabric hexagons to the paper piece to speed up the process I also stock the Sewline fabric glue pens here.

Happy stitching!

Fiona Marie Clark 

Stamped fabric...

This is a technique I would love to spend more time exploring, and I will - hopefully soon. I have created the pin cushion below using fabric I have stamped with a couple of Montarga stamps using a VersaCraft ink pad containing a multipurpose water-based pigment ink. The fabric I have stamped on is a piece of roasted calico from Distressed Threads and the pattern is one of the free offerings on the Anna Maria Horner blog.

I did struggle a little putting this pin cushion together and my unpicker was put to good use as I tried to get the seams and those circles just so, but I do love the result and I am not the most experienced machine sewer in the world. If you decide to have a go making this let me know how you get on. I will be having workshops on this technique next year so if you are interested in having a go stay tuned for more information.

Happy Stitching!

Fiona Marie

Quilting all creatures great and small...

Right. It is time to get one of my growing pile of quilt tops off to the machine quilters and off my to-do list. This gorgeous quilt is named All Creatures Great and Small and is designed by The Birdhouse.

 
 
 
It has stitchery panels distributed around the quilt and two borders. I would love your opinions on how you would machine quilt it.

The beautiful stitchery below designed by Leanne Beasley is now available by emailing me. It is not on the website. The pattern is $25.00 and contains the pattern sheet, A4 size colour picture and instructions. The companion kit contains the design screen printed onto hanky linen and 12 full skeins of the cosmo threads used and is $35.00. The companion kit does not include the pattern sheets.

 
Have a great day and don't forget to let me know how you would machine quilt All Creatures Great and Small.

 
 

Wool, ink, knots and what's new...

As you can see from the title I have a lot of projects to get through today. Firstly I have finished my lacy scarf using 2 ply hand painted wool from Touch Yarns. This is one of the little projects I will be selling in my new store 'Piece' opening in January 2012.

 

I bought a couple of stamps and a fabric ink stamp pad from Montarga Rubber Stamps who had a stand at the recent Creative Flair Fair in Christchurch. I have made up some fabric and I'm in the process of using this in a couple of projects. I will have the results of my endeavours soon.

 
I am loving playing with this technique!

I have been back to my old favourite past time. Grab a spare piece of fabric, go to my Celtic Knot pattern file, find some gorgeous thread, and start stitching...with no particular end product in mind...but I know it will come in useful one day. The thread I have used here is from the Cosmos Seasons range #8049.

 
The Great Global Christmas Swap in now in full swing and I am in the process of stitching up the angels to make the little sweet box from the pattern supplied by Bronwyn Hayes.

 
Speaking of Bronwyn I have all her new patterns available that can be viewed on her blog here. They have not been put on the fionamarie.com store because I am now in change over mode as the new website for 'Piece' is being set up, but I can get them for you, just drop me an email and let me know what you are after.

Prices in NZ dollars are below:

The Christmas Gift - $39.95, Ginger Snaps - $21.95, Fairy Garden Cot Quilt and Cushion - $25.50, The Lipgloss Girls Bag - $25.50, Tassel Cones - $25.50.

Happy Stitching!