Pineapple

The pineapples are starting to appear in my bag! I am now up to row 30 (a bit further than in the photo), so the end is near. I hope I can finish the bag tomorrow.



Speaking about bags... it's time to announce the winners of the Lined Project Bag Giveaway!

- Patrice has won the Tea Bag
- Kaye has won the Australian Bird Bag
- Kate has won the Abstract Bag

Congratulations to these ladies (I have contacted them), and thank you to everyone who entered!

Giveaway!

Would you like to win one of these lined project bags? I'm giving away all three of them! They are great for keeping your crochet, sock knitting or hand sewing projects safe and taking them wherever you go.

Each bag is 11'' (27 cm) square, large enough to hold a few skeins, a crochet hook, scissors and a printed pattern - or whatever it is you want to take with you. To close them just pull the strings on both sides.

To win one of these beauties, you will need to do 3 things:
1. Like the Blue Jacaranda page on Facebook
2. Follow @bluejacarandadesign on Instagram (if you are not on Instagram just skip this step!)
3. Leave a comment on this post, telling me which bag you would like to win

Bag 1 is the Tea Bag:


Bag 2 is the Australian Bird Bag:


And Bag 3 is the Abstract Bag. It's hard to photograph and looks a bit pale compared to the other two, but trust me that this is a lovely fabric in mint, red and cream!



I will draw three winners one week from now, on Wednesday 15 November at 9pm Sydney time.
Anyone can enter, it doesn't matter where you live.

Good luck! (And don't forget that you can always make your own Lined Project Bag using the tutorial I posted earlier this week.)

A new look and a giveaway

Down Under Quilts issue 166 is on sale at newsagents throughout Australia today! It will be available at Coles supermarkets next week, and you can also order it online (digital or hard copy).
This is our spring issue and it has a fresh new look. To celebrate I have one copy to give away - for your chance to win it just leave a comment here and tell me what you love to see in a quilting magazine. (Australian readers only - sorry international readers!)



My project in this issue is this Stripy Chevrons baby quilt, made with upcycled men's shirts (you may remember I showed some sneak peeks here and here). There are also some gorgeous projects designed by Andi Herman (aka PatchAndi), Anorina Morris and Molli Sparkles, and on their blogs you can also win a copy of the magazine.



Speaking of new looks... I also have one! I decided to go for the short bob again, just in time for my birthday. Today I turned 45, but we celebrated it yesterday, because hubby had to go to Perth:



I am really spoilt, with lots of chocolate, and this gorgeous bag from BagyBags on Etsy (yes, I like chevrons!).



My mother-in-law gave me money to choose something for myself, so I am going to have a lovely time browsing on Etsy. I am thinking ceramics or jewellery (or a combination!). I gave myself Edge of Eternity, part three of the Century trilogy by Ken Follett which has just been published. Looking forward to delving into it!

I have mixed feelings about this birthday. I don't mind getting older (quite the contrary), but I am now older than my mother ever was - she died at 44, when I was 17 - and that is a really strange idea. I guess I'll get used to it...

Handprinted Schoolhouse Fabric and Postcard Giveaway

Ever since I made my hand-stamped Dutch Houses fabric I have been thinking about other designs to print on fabric. A while ago, it suddenly struck me that it would be fun to create a stamp of one of my favourite traditional quilt blocks; the Schoolhouse. And yesterday I finally found time to do it:



I started stamping, and really liked it:



Here is the first fat quarter of Little Red Schoolhouse fabric - now for sale in my Etsy shop:



I also made a fabric postcard (10 x 15 cm / 4 x 6 inch). Because it's almost Christmas I am giving it away to one reader of this blog. If you would like to win it, leave a comment here and let me know which quilt block you think I should make into a stamp next. I'll pick a winner on 5 January 2014, as we are going away to our caravan in Wooyung Beach this weekend for two weeks. Good luck!