Hobart Brown Owls - June Meeting

Hobart Brown Owls had a slightly more owl-ful meeting for June, thanks to some new owls and some old.

There was lots of yarn work:

Jaci is knitting three scarves (one for each of her two year old triplets..!) and left-handed Lis is learning to crochet:

A blur of crocheting :)

I finished a crochet owl (but forgot the pipe cleaners to make his feet) and continued with the final sleeve of Marcus' jumper, which I started a while back at a different Brown Owls meeting:

Hilary and Liz made felt owls:

Hilary adding the eyes to an owl

Liz sewing an owl body

And Virginia amazed us with her commitment; reaching hexagon 102 of about 750 in a hand sewn quilt for her little boy:

Basting the fabric around the freezer paper

Some of the many finishing hexagons

We ended up with 1 finished (and gorgeous) and two nearly finished owls; and are looking forward to more next time - or maybe a different theme? 

Happy hexing :: Canberra :: June wrap-up

We had a WONDERFUL time at Canberra Brown Owls this month - Michelle taught us the art of English Paper Piecing, and I think it's safe to say a hexidemic has broken out!

This little guys are so cute and so EASY that every one is a bit hex-addicted!

I'll spare you any more gushing (and avoid serious overuse of words like CUTE and ADORABLE) and just show you some pics of some of our Owlie's work:

Here are George's hexies-in-progress (I adore those vintagey prints - infact some of those same Denyse Schmidt fabrics feature in my hexies too!)

Here is Sandra's first ever joined hexy pair - I love fussy cut hexagons! They are perfect for featuring cute a gorgeous fabric like that owly one!

This is Jo's current hexy work-in-progress - the fabrics are just divine! This piece is destined to be a table runner - you can read a bit more about it on Jo's blog

And (one of) Michelle's current hexy project(s). There's a lovely story behind this piece - you can read more about it on Michelle's blog

Morea was  trying hexies for the very first time too, and look at the result - such a perfect corner!

I sat next to Renae, and it was all I could do not to slip her pack of pre-cut hexagons into my bag when she went to make me a cup of tea! The mix of fabrics in the pack is just so cute adorable precious! Renae's hexies have made an appearance on her blog today too.

We can't thank Michelle enough for teaching and inspiring (and enabling!) us this month!

If you think you'd like to have a go at hexies too, but don't have access to your own Michelle, now is the perfect time! A fabulous hexy quilt-along (which a couple of our Canberra Owls are alonging with) was announced last week over on the Fat Quarterly blog - over the next little while Katy from I'm a ginger monkey will be posting instructions on how to make your own version of her AMAZING Hexy MF quilt!

 

There's going to be full, in-depth instructions for every step, so even if you don't feel ready to tackle a whole quilt the posts will be a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to learn how to hexy!


***

The next Canberra Brown Owls meeting will be held on July 22, and Bron will be teaching beginner's embroidery - make sure you pop it in your diaries, and keep an eye on the blog here for more details!

See you then!

x

Canberra Owls June :: EPP

Hello Owls!

This month Michelle will be teaching you everything there is to know about English Paper Piecing. It's a fun, portable method of piecing quilts, or creating shapes to applique onto bags, shirt or whatever! And maybe you'll become addicted to EPP like Michelle is!

We'll start out by piecing together some 1 inch hexagons into a Grandmother's Flower Garden arrangement, but of course you can do anything you like. Take your inspiration from other English Paper Piecing sites on the internet, like here http://www.flickr.com/groups/englishpaperpiecing/ But if you're a beginner, I recommend the 1 inch hexagons to start with.

As you can see in the pic there, for your EPP hexies you need those little hexagon papers.
We recommend that you purchase a pack of "Patchwork with Busyfingers" 50 x 1 inch hexagon papers, which also come with a perspex template for cutting out your fabric. You can get these packs from Addicted to Fabric in Phillip, or online from Busyfingers. We can organise getting a pack for you for under $11, but ONLY if you get back to us by Sunday 10 June! This is so it gives us enough time to order online from Patchwork with Busyfingers. So please mention that you would like a pack in the RSVP on the blog post. If you'd like to buy some of the hexagon papers, but don't want a full pack of 50, let us know and we'll match up some people to share kits!

You can also find EPP hexie templates free online - you'll need to print these and cut them out then bring them along to the meeting. You'll be able to find loads using Google - here's an example we found. You could also find different sizes or shapes the same way.

Here's the important details!
The meeting is on Sunday June 17, from 1:30pm - 3:30pm, at the Downer Community Centre.

You need to bring:

"Patchwork with Busyfingers" 50 x 1 inch hexagons, which comes with a perspex template from either us ($11) or Addicted to Fabric OR your printed and cut out papers

Cotton fabric for the hexagons

Sharp sewing needles

Thread

A pencil or fabric marking pen

Scissors for fabric and snipping thread

Your $5 hall fee

Some afternoon tea to share if you'd like.

As usual, tea and coffee is available all afternoon and the usual friendly chatter is guaranteed!
Of course if EPP doesn't take your fancy we'd still love to see you! Just bring along whatever you'd like to work on! =)

Don't forget to RSVP on the blog post, especially if you want us to purchase you a kit, before Sunday 10 June. And if you have any questions, ask away and one of the prefects or Michelle will answer your questions.

 See you soon! xo

Canberra Brown Owls - English Paper Piecing

Hex's, originally uploaded by tutti fruiti.

July is just slip-slipping away from us, and our next meeting is on Sunday 26 July!

We are going to learn how to do English paper piecing. It's a patchwork technique, and is possibly something your mother or grandmother or great-grandmother used for piecing quilts. It's a load of fun, and once you know how to do it, the possibilities are endless! You can make a flower out of hexagons and applique it to a skirt or a tote bag ... or make a doll quilt ... or a cushion! Check out Flickr for more ideas!

I will be offering kits of pre-cut piecing papers and a bit of template plastic, and they will only be a few dollars (under $5). If you need a kit, please let me know by Tuesday night 14th July! I need to order the shapes from WA and they take time to arrive. (It's OK - I've ordered enough for everybody, so just let me know by the 22nd so that I know how many I have to package up.

If you go with the kit, all you need to bring with you are:

* scraps of fabric that you like (at least 3 inches square)
* a pencil
* (sharp) needles, pins and thread
* a pressing stick/Clover presser/paddlepop stick.
* $6 for the room hire

See you at Downer Community Centre at 2 pm on the 26th! Don't forget to RSVP below!