Jazzy & Me, Simple Creative Patterns

Mr and Mrs Twitt-Twitt-Twoo door stop OWLS.

Group picture, from left to right:

Mrs. Twitt-Twitt-Twoo, Toby and Tessa Teddy, Mr. Twitt-Twitt-Twoo with Dilly Dolly Dandy in the front.

Well they say as one gets older one reverts back to childhood - well this is what Robbie and I have been doing in our Sewing Studio. Now having grand babies in my life and being accurately aware that there is a whole generation out there that have never sewn, Jazzy & Me patterns are designed for the young first up sewer of the more experienced one who just wants to have fun. Robbie and I have enjoyed just 'playing' with simple creative projects that use our When Dreams Flower fabric collection - which by the way should be available in the US NOW!!

We have quite a few great ideas for more patterns, but so far we have the ones shown above along with three pillows and a bag - but lots more on the drawing board! Let me know what you think of our Jazzy and Me patterns idea - of course for us who still love to embroider all these patterns would be beautifully enhanced with our embroidery designs either straight onto the fabric or using my Embroidered Decoupage technique to embroider and apply embellishments to any of the patterns.

Have you tried our Peaches' Purses designs yet - you will just love them and they are just sew perfect to leave on your embroidery machine just stitching away - and not only that they are great to use and give-away - dare I say Christmas is not that far off!!

Looking forward to hearing your comments on our new pattern range - am off to dinner with my daughter Sammie.

Thank you and moving along

Thank you to everyone who emailed me in regards to my beautiful baby Zoey - your emails were so appreciated and I am happy to report Zoey is getting more beautiful on the outside everyday. Here round of specialist appointments start tomorrow with the Cardiologist and then the Neurologist, EEG's and so on. As Zoey's mum said 'I can only think in the moment anything else is just out of my mind space.' I have to agree with her and so we take it hour by hour day by day.

As you can see, here is the cover for CE 28, which is at the printers as we speak - it is simply the best and we are thrilled with it. There is just so much in CE 28 with heaps of new and different things to make, inspire and challenge you.

We have finally finished our black, white and red quilt War of the Roses which we will feature in CE 29 and Simon is working on a fabulous new quilt and technique. Peaches' Purses is finally released and can be ordered. Of course go to our web site for more information.

Simon is off to BU in Orlando on Friday so that is exciting and Robbie and I get to play - we have some exciting ideas for which to use our new fabric range -When Dreams Flower which I plan to share on my blog so there will be lots of new things coming up. I also want to have Simon redesign the blog layout so I can make it more interesting.

Well it is Monday night and my girlfriend Sandy is making a quilt and she is up to the cutting and piecing stage so I must go and check on her. I will try and be more regular with my postings in the future.

Life, love and grandbabies

How do you like Robbie's Melbourne Cup Race outfit - hat and hand bag - the hat features designs from Margaret's Magnificant Melody Design CD and the hand bag is hot off the press from Peaches' Purses - the directions for the hat will be in CE 28 and the directions for the purse will be on the design CD along with directions to make all the purses etc that are on the design CD - it is truly a beauty!

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words - well this is it - I don't want the yogurt and you are wearing it - and that I am right on the middle of the nose with one flick of the wrist - baby Cooper-Jay hit the spoon flying with the yogurt in it and I copped it - I had forgotten how to wear food but soon got back into the swing of things.

Well our lives will forever be changed since the birth of our beautiful baby Zoey Ruby-Rose (Cooper-Jay's baby sister) has Tuberous Sclerosis Complete a rare genetic disease which can be inherited if one parent has it but in her case it is a spontaneous mutation. This horrid disease allows non malignant tumors to grow on vital body organs like the kidneys, heart, eye and brain - all of which she has. The main concern is the brain and due to the fact that the tumors die and calcify electrical currents get blocked and cause little explosions which result in seizures - she has started at eight weeks. (I was hoping for an up dated picture of our little Zoe but the DVD my son Jason gave would not open!) The picture will have to wait for next time.

A week in Westmead Children's Hospital is a lesson in love given by the parents and amazing nurses and doctors, acceptance for parents and grandparents and a total new perspective on life. Seeing this apparently perfectly beautiful baby girl with electrodes covering her tiny head for an EEG - not once but twice, learning she is on a strong anti-seizure drug with the edict being given that from now on we all will follow the path her tiny body leads us truly makes one realise you don't have a choice but to be strong. When I consider my life is nearly over and what can I do to be there for her and her parents and please God let it be for a while! (One good thing has come out of this I have discovered I can still cook on a regular basis - I have become a real soup kitchen!

Zoey is home now, doing all the wonderful things a 9 week old baby does, smiling, laughing, gurgling, kicking and bring a wonderful joy to us all, always tinged with the sadness of reality - but today is a good day and we are grateful for that.

Our beautiful Harvey is growing in charm, looks and chatter - he is like a sponge soaking up everything he sees and hears being the total little mimic - this we have learnt he is very good at too!

On the work front which has taken a second place we are still all on track with CE 28 being just completed and now we are up to our next projects - we have three new quilts in the making and a new design CD coming along - and yes Peaches' Purses will be out by next week - it is quite a large project, but we know you will love it.

On that note I must away and get back to work, forgive me Erica I am trying to be faithful in my blog up dates, but life has thrown us all a curve ball and it is a little hard to catch at present, love you all Jenny.

When Dreams Fabric launched at Spring Market

Well I have been lax - it is over two weeks since my last blog - my life and time have been so taken up with editing (we are working on CE 28), being creative (we are working on a new quilt - The War of the Roses) as well as still working on Peache's Purses - and yes it is coming one cannot rush amazing things. By the way I trust you all have CE 27 we were out on time with it this time - yippee!! It has been out in Australia for just over a week so it should be in the US soon.

Simon is in the US for Spring Market - Minneapolis and our When Dreams Flower fabric range will be launched there. Robbie and I have been busy finalising projects using our sample fabrics and are now anxiously awaiting seeing pictures of the Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie... quilt quilted. Hopefully we will get a report and maybe a picture tomorrow.

We have also been very busy making hats, bags and skirts for our Melbourne Cup special for CE 28 - for those who are not Australian's Melbourne Cup is Australia's most prestigious horse race and it is 150 years old this year - unfortunately Simon and I will be in Houston when it is on this year. Melbourne residents in Victoria actually have a holiday the day it is run. Everyone all over Australia gets dressed up and goes either to the races in their city or out for lunch and everyone has a bet. It is a great day and so we thought we would create our own accessories - they are really fun and quite gorgeous - they will have to wait for my next blog.

Zoey is doing well and growing fast - but is such a dainty little thing. Cooper-Jay, her big brother is not exactly liking not being the centre of attention - but he will get over it! Poor little Harvey broke his collar bone, but it is mended now and we are told the large mending lump will disappear with age.

My dad turned 97 on the 13th of April, Sam, by baby 31 on the 29th of April - it is the most popular month for birthdays for our family.

Well it is nearly winter in the southern hemisphere and we are all starting to heat our homes and rug ourselves up - Honey and I are still walking/jogging every morning which certainly makes one feel alive.

So this is my last committment for the day, and now off to bed. Promise to try and keep this up every week - I know Erica I am slack!

Ringa-a-Ring a Rosie...quilt and pillow and Noosa Girls

Sunset over Noosa and girls night out!

How lucky were we to meet two absolutely gorgeous young girls up in Noosa, Katlin and Megan - we met quite by accident and had a great first night out till late and then the second night danced on the balcony until very late - there was a wedding below our balcony so we pirated our very own private DJ. I learnt Blame it on the Boogie with actions and the Nutbush both of which were fun and exhausting - and yes at my age perhaps a little too many cocktails which we were happy to find out hit the young things the next day as much as it did my girlfriend and I. Never mind we had a great time - better late than never!!

RING-A-RING-A-ROSIE A BASKET FULL OF POSIES

Well before I left for Noosa on the Thursday after my last post - Simon, Robbie and I had nearly finished our Ring-a-Ring a Rosie... patchwork quilt made from our sample When Dreams Flower fabric. Laura - the marketing and advertising mistress of Windham Fabrics - asked us to make a quilt to have on their web site with free directions - so this is it! (Laura may be small but she is feisty)! Laura is having it quilted in the US and it will be on display, along with the original When Dreams Flower quilt at Spring Market in a few weeks.

We are also making two pillows to go with the Ring-a-Ring a Rosie quilt - this is the pink story of the fabric range embellished with Lottie's Poppies embroidery designs. If Laura gives us more time we may make a couple of other items as well!!

The fabric will not be available until July 2010 in the US and September in Australia - this is just a teaser - by the way the directions to make the quilt will be on my web site as well as Windham as a free download once the fabric is released.

Well I am working on another pillow tomorrow and am in the middle of another quilt (red, black and white this time - very different to anything we have done before- so it is time to sign off - still keeping up Erica aren't you proud of me. x x x

What is happening in and out of our Studio, fabrics, quilts and embroidery

Well as you can see, Laura of Windham Textiles has been busy designing a poster for our When Dreams Flower fabric - great poster Laura.

Robbie has been busy also making a quilt for her third granddaughter Hannah. This is her interpretation of Harvey's Garden isn't it gorgeous. She has added hills and a tree (appliqued) over a diagonal quilted grid background and then embroidered Harvey's Garden characters - it makes a great scene on a little girls quilt. The borders are decorated with flowers and toad stools with the cornerstones having butterflies - way to go Robbie.

We have been busy with our little Zoey, Harvey and CJ especially Zoey who at present is the focus of our attention being so new and little - she is growing and doing well - she is such a special little soul.

Robbie and I are working on our purses - we are nearly there - they are looking fabulous and Simon is working on a new quilt using Margaret's Magnificent Melody flowers - it is going to be stunning.

And wait till you see our patchwork quilt made from our new fabric - When Dreams Flower which arrived last week, we are just putting the borders on it.

Well it is a long week end here in Australia and my friend Sandy and I are off on a Thelma and Louise long week-end in Noosa - I am really looking forward to the break - we have been just so busy lately.

I am literally walking out the door to catch the plane so will write again next week.

Introducing Zoey Ruby-Rose Haskins

Well my Easter week-end away was cancelled and this is the reason - the arrival of beautiful baby Zoey born to Kim and Jason (my elder son) and baby sister to Cooper-Jay - (she was born on Good Friday).

She arrive 12 days early and is as you can see so beautiful - as all babies are.

Uncle Simon was baby sitting Cooper-Jay for around four hours and they say a picture is worth 1,000 words - only just having arrived home, tired and getting the flu looking after a very very active 16 month old took its toll on a weary Uncle

We celebrated (early) Sam (my only daughter's) birthday up at the beach last week-end with the gang - Harvey, Kirstin, Cleo, Simon, Laurie, Peaches and Sam - we had a great day - weather perfect and lots to do do. Harvey had a carousel ride, rode the toy train, fed the fishes, sea gulls and pelicans and we had a beautiful relaxing Saturday - with lots of food, wine, family love and - amazingly we all bought the right birthday gifts for Sam - big sigh of relief!

Our When Dreams Flower strike off fabric should arrive tomorrow, so we are anxiously awaiting it - very exciting.

Robbie and I have been making embroidered hats, hair bands, earrings, necklaces and hand bags - we are being very creative so there are lots of exciting things to look forward to.

My beautiful friend Catherine was with me this time last year and we had such an amazing three weeks together - she sent me flowers today with a card that said 'Thanks for the memories' and what great ones they are. Time just seems to be slipping away - my beautiful dad turned 97 today - he wants to reach 100 and it seems he is determined to get there.

My life is full and happy and business is busy - Simon will be off to quilt market soon and then there will be June and 2010 will be half way through - I am constantly reminded that I have to make the most of every day and be grateful.

Will try and be a little more consistent with these post Erica - but Zoey was a little more important this time!