Ella and Skysie Designs

Floral Rose Bag cleanout

Pretty floral tote bag, that you can feature stitch around the roses. All matching fabric from the same range.

Cleaning out the shelves and found these floral bag kits. Fabric house sent me floral panels and matching fabric by mistake so I made them into a quick bag. Sold them for $30 bag pattern and fabric kit.

You can see the lining colours match perfectly. Selling out for $10 each so I can get some organization back into the store room. when ordering make a note in the comment box about lining colour choice. Only 2 pink linings left.

Back to stitching the next POM, "Bearly working Bag" about a bear who is making quilts and cooking cupcakes. Its not really called work when you are having fun creating, is it?

Love Ella

December Freebie

This month's freebie (with every order) is a pre-printed stitchery on seeded homepsun 3" x 3" cup and saucer. Quick and easy to stitch, and always handy as a gift for a special friend that you share a cuppa with. Make into a simple mug bag, frame or slip into a mounted card with a note with a high quality teabag.

Latest stitchery or avoiding work

Sisters stitchery

Inbetween mailing out the wholesale orders from the AQM I have been stitching a Sisters pre printed stitchery. Playing with the variagated Cottage Garden threads for the flowers and deviating from my normal backstitch with buttonhole flowers and stem stitch. I have had this one drawn for some time and was itching to stitch it. Now I wonder where I will place my wooden bug buttons, it will be infested with frogs, dragonflies, bees and other crawly critters if I let my girlfriends play with it over a cuppa.

I think I'll make it into a cushion with some lovely Lakehouse fabric. Stay tuned and yes it will be up on the website this weekend.

Back to stitching

Ella

Antique Sewing Machines BOM

 

Finally finished the new BOM "Antique Sewing Machines" 12 gorgeous standard sized Sewing Machines from the 1850's on. I enjoyed researching the history behind the inventors of each machine, their stories are similiar to the rise and fall of private enterprise today.

Many moved onto different fields such as bicycles, motor cars and specialized machinery making. By the 1890's only the big players survived, the machines themselves did not differ in appearance so much, and manufacturing moving overseas for cheaper labour.Sound familiar.

I loved the richly detailed rose or gold decals that emblelished the cast iron bodies, so suitable for stitching.

They are not the most valuable or ground breaking models in the history of sewing machines but certainly they are varied in their scuptural shapes and background history.  Yes I do own one of them, its the one with the wooden base. Please comment if you recognise one of your own.

Back to stitching the 3 Vintage Teapots on a linen teatowel.

Ella

Second Hand Heaven

Finally got to window shop in Chapel  St Melbourne, so much to see, my daughters would love it.

Funky shoes only $8

Great lamp base
This wonderful 2^nd hand industrial type showroom was just heaven to browse through. Store dummy heads  in an Aluminium bath so graphic, surprises at every turn.
Rolling pins in a white garden urn.

Tractor Trike

A great window display of crows and metal ladders

One of the many 2^nd hand shops with kitsch or retro goodies. Found some trading cards in this one.

Needing sustenance at this stage so some fresh sashimi fitted the bill perfectly, then back to the window shopping.

More visual delights next post and of course I get withdrawals when not sewing so a peek at the current project.

Happy stitching

Ella

 

AQM

Australian Quilt Market in Melbourne’s Jeff Shed Wholesale Show

After a cancelled flight, waiting for 1½ hours for a nonexistent taxi, whoop whoop accommodation due to Tiger & Brittanys’ presence, then drama with missing courier stock for the show. Ahhhhhh.

We then had a wonderful wholesale show. Caught up with so many lovely designers, Creative Abundance was next door, with my clever coffee friend Bronwyn Hays, Natalie Ross, Rosalie Quinlan and the rest of the crew.

Brenda Ryan of ‘Thimblestitch’ and Pam Spurway of ‘Cottage Garden Threads’ (who has lots more new colours available) were around the corner. The husband and wife teams of ‘Hatched and Patched’ and ‘Bird House’ the nicest nicest people always ready with a smile. Only waved to Sue Daley of ‘Patchwork with busy fingers’ but will catch up with her as soon as possible. ‘Blue Willow’ girls and ‘Nicky Turvo’ and many more great Australian Designers.

The girls at ‘Homespun’ always have the best display (thankyou for the Tim Tams). Caroline from the former ‘Veronica’s Violet Stitcheries’ is handling Birch for Northern Victoria and Southern NSW, so great to catch up with her as well.

Then of course all the wonderful shop owners that we chatted with, many of whom will be stocking the POM. I will place a list of POM stockists on the website so you can check out their creative versions of the full kits with their own fabrics that is near to your home town. Also the new BOM ‘Antique Sewing Machine’ is available at Patchwork shops even before I have managed to put it on my website.

Managed to grab 2 new Moda packs for future samples in the final hours of the show. Yum Yum.

So sorry no photos of show, copyright protection and all that, so wait till next blog, coming reel soon.

Love Ella

BOM mailout

All BOM's have now left the building, and the POM's will be in the mail by Tuesday 10th. Girls, watch for the postman!

Back to stitching

Ella

November Freebie

This month's freebie is a pre-printed elegant crinoline miniature measuring 2½" x 3". I stitched it in a backstitch, primitive straight stitch and some single strand grub roses on her hat and dress. More girls to come since I enjoyed stitching this one. Comes free with all orders made in November.

End of October

Back from the Brisbane Craft and Quilt Show, and it was so great to meet so many BOM and POM ladies. Now I can put a face to the names that I write out each month.

A beautiful well executed example of the” Tre Chic” bag, this clever lady even used shoe fabric.

So want this as my sample.

Sneak peek of the next POM, a cute redwork sewing bag.

Fell in love with Cottage Garden Threads and matching felt rosettes.

I have used these in small projects and they were a dream to work with. No knotting and the colour changes are every 2 inches, softly graded, ideal for small flowers.

We will put these on the shopping cart in the next 2 days along with the first project.

Next freebie is gorgeous, so you crinoline crazy ladies keep in touch.

Back to stitching

Ella

CraftExpo Melbourne 2009

Had a great time in Melbourne, sorry no photos of the stand or the customers, just so busy. It must have been the food proximity or the shortcut to the ladies. Talking of Melbourne food, we sampled inventive muesli breakfasts, such wonderful soup kitchens and tiny alternative Restaurants down narrow side alleys. Yum Yum.

Took the Trams to explore Melbourne on the day off, and found eclectic co ops, ethnic bakeries and great antique shops, sadly most were closed. But peering through windows is fun (reminds me of my antique shop stitchery). This boy doesn’t have a choice where his bed lies.

Finally managed to get to the Famous Victorian Markets and sampled the Deli lines. So many choices, you are lucky people you Victorians.

Found many teapots that I would love to possess.

And of course..finished off the Melbourne trip with a visit to Koko Black for treats and some stitching time.