Wordless Wednesday...

The French version....

Saint Cirq Lapopie- France's most beautiful village!

Flaran Abbey- 11th century

The gite where we are staying in Salies De Bearn

Happy days!

SUZ

I'm over here....

Enjoying the sights...

London

Lentils and lace....

and long walks uphill...

Le Puy en Velay

and down dale...

Najac

Eating lots of delicious food...

and looking at pretty fabric-

way too expensive to buy!

Au revoir...

SUZ

July is here....

but I'm not!

Happy knitting!

(as I am away on holidays, I am not allowing comments on this post)

SUZ

Colour Play...

Firstly, thank you Mary for inviting me to be part of your Flowering Snowball-Along!

Mary asked me to share some ideas about choosing fabrics for a scrappy quilt with this pretty design.

In all honesty, I have no formal training in colour.

  These are just my thoughts about colour, design and fabric from years of experience making scrap quilts!

1. If you are a bit intimidated by going 
"all out scrappy"
choose a colour palette, 
with something like "Design Seeds"...

That is how I chose mine!

2. Become more familiar with the colour wheel and the theory behind colour.  There is an excellent, easy-to-read article here.

Although I'm not sure what happened to pink?

The "Spring Brights" colour palette (above)
  is taken from   
different thirds of this colour wheel.

This means, I think, that there will be 
balance in the colours.

3. The design of the fabrics also 
needs to be balanced,

having large prints and small prints...

deeper tones and lighter ones....

Tone on tones or prints which read as solids...

And every quilt is better with spots,
don't you think?!

4. Consider your favourite fabric lines and what the designer has created...

Shelburne Falls by Denyse Schmidt

Most of the above principals will generally apply.

5. I wrote another post about colour here 
which suggests instead,
 starting with a 'inspiration fabric' 
and its selvedge.

6. Even after I have chosen fabrics for 
a scrappy quilt,

I continue to make decisions during

the making process,

asking myself questions such as:

* Is there enough contrast between the pieces?

* Are there too many prints of the same value?

* Do I have a balance of colours from 
the palette chosen?

I think the more you play with your fabrics, 
the more fun you will have picking a palette!

Go on- have some colour play!

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Shelburne Tartan...

Well, "Tartan" is what MrPnP called it,

when he saw my latest quilt top together!

As this is made from Densye Schmidt's 

"Shelburne Falls" range of fabric,

that's the name that's stuck!

I chose the pattern from here...

There is just one partial seam in each block....

right there in the centre!

But it came together fairly painlessly!

I didn't need to use "Herman" too many times!

The solid I chose is Kona "Chinese Red"....

a nice change from white or grey,

and appropriate for a southern hemisphere winter.

Though I'm not sure the Chinese made tartan fabric?

Perhaps someone else has a better name for me?

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Happy Birthday Lizzie...

How appropriate...

in progress.

A Union Jack,

more progress...

in Liberty fabric,

on the Queen's Birthday holiday!

Do you think she will like it?

Happy days!

Linking to Quilt Story:Fabric Tuesday

SUZ

Who'd have thought...

that a fabric producer would know about 

my little blog?

Back in late January I received an email from

P&B Textiles in the US,

asking if I would be interested in some fat quarter 

packs to use!

Of course I said 'Yes'!

And look what arrived yesterday…..

I am so ready to get cutting!

I will also be sharing some of the P&B love, 

so keep your eyes on a giveaway coming soon

to a blog near you!

I especially love that one on the bottom left!

I hope you have had some fabric love in your life recently?

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Three little words...

planning....

piecing.....

knitting.....

Happy days!

SUZ

June is here....

Not sure how that happened?

A new season means a new colour scheme....

 Welcome June...

the perfect month, in this part of the world, to sew!

And today, with its rain...

is indeed sewing weather!

Happy days!

SUZ