Since the last update here, quite a few patterns have been added to the Blue Jacaranda pattern store on Craftsy, such as the Kombi Van Sewing Machine Cover and the Rainbow Diamonds Baby Quilt.
At his moment there are 11 patterns in store, including two free patterns – the Lilac and Lavender Baby Quilt mentioned in the previous posting, and the Simply Squares Baby Quilt:
More patterns will continue to be added, so stay tuned!
Take care,
Linda
This colourful baby quilt was inspired by the windmills in the Netherlands, my home country. I used the colours of the Dutch flag; red, white and blue; and one orange square as a reference to the Dutch Royal House of Orange.
The patterned fabrics are cut from authentic Dutch ‘farmers handkerchiefs’ (boerenzakdoeken), sent to me by my mother-in-law and my best friend in Holland (they are also available here).
The quilt was made as a project for the Australian magazine Creative Expressions, and I’m very proud that it made the cover!
The pattern is now available in my Craftsy pattern shop here.
Take care,
Linda
Is it really February? Where did January go?? Oh, wait – I vaguely remember school holidays, work deadlines, very hot days and back-to-school stress. Anyway, we’ve sort of settled back into the normal routines, and I finally managed to add some new items to the shop.
These pillow covers feature a traditional appliqué quilt block called Orange Peel. made with graphic black and white fabrics, they have a distinctly modern feel.
The covers measure 18 inch / 46 cm square. The set of two can be found in my Etsy shop here. I’m planning to add more new items this month!
Take care,
Linda
After a busy period at work I finally found time to add some new items to the shop. They all happened to be blue, and that made me realise there are quite a few items in my shop that are blue. Not surprisingly, for I love blue! Here is a selection.
Last week I made this table topper or trivet. I cut the diamond shapes from woolen sweaters that I had felted in the washing machine and stitched them together using a small zig zag. This pattern is known among quilters as ‘baby blocks’ – very effective, isn’t it?
Yesterday I made a smaller version that is now for sale in my Etsy shop. Here is a detail:
The back is made from a piece of felt from another sweater:
It would look great under a vase or a bowl – a perfect house-warming gift. It can also be used as a mouse pad.
I have a lot of felt left, so am going to try and make some more ‘trivets’ (strange word…). There are some more quilt blocks that I think would look very good in felt!
Take care,
Linda
In March 2010 I was surfing the internet and discovered the calligram: a poem, phrase, or word in which the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting is arranged in a way that creates a visual image (Wikipedia). I thought I’d have a go at making one myself and hey presto, my first calligram was there (the gecko, you can find it here). After that first one I made lots more and one of my favourites is this bicycle calligram, made using the word bicycle in more than 20 languages!
The Bicycle Calligram print is available in my Etsy shop stretched in a hoop, made into an art card and as a PDF file to print at home. The Bicycle print stretched on canvas will be added again soon.
Earlier this week I sent out the January issue of the Blue Jacaranda Newsletter (click here to read it).
Every month one subscriber wins a BJ prize and you guessed it; this month’s prize is the Green Bicycle Word Art Card!
To subscribe use the form on the sidebar to the right or click on the newsletter tab at the top of the page. I send out only one newsletter per month and every month you go in the draw to win the prize!
Have a great weekend,
Linda
On the About page of this website you can read how I fell in love with the jacarandas in 2007, our first year in Brisbane. These gorgeous trees only flower for a short time every year; from mid-September until the end of October. Which means, of course, that they are in flower now!
So today I got on my bike to ride around our neighbourhood and took photos of the most beautiful jacaranda trees. And when I had to pick up my son from gymnastics I made a detour to snap even more jacarandas :-). Here are a few pics for you to enjoy!
Blue Jacaranda 