Well here we are, celebrating a brand new year, so HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you from all of us here at the Applique Guild. We send New Year wishes to you all for a year full of lovely sewing
time...... and plenty of it.
So...should we talk about New Year Resolutions....the first tip is not to make them while sipping one, two or more glasses of lovely new year champagne...it will only end in tears...who knows what you will resolve to do when under the influence of bubbles.
The second valuable tip is to only make New Year resolutions directly related to sewing and fabric buying....forget all the 'live a healthy lifestyle' rubbish and just go straight to some serious list making.
*How many fabric shops do I plan to visit in 2017
*How many projects will I start in 2017
*How many projects will I finish in 2017...don't panic, this tip not related to tip #2.
*How many sewing days with friends per week is reasonable.
It is so much fun to get all our books out, all of them full to the brim with projects we love, and pour over pages and pages trying to decide how many applique projects we can cram into the next 12 months.
The first book we grabbed of the shelf is the amazing "Take an Element...Seeing the Possibilities" by the brilliant Margaret Sampson George.
If you don't already have a copy of this book then you must get it immediately...it will be the first step to guarantee a happy year.
It is a Quiltmania publication so you know with out even seeing it that it will be a beautiful book, their photos, graphics and patterns are second to none.
But this book is not only full of amazing inspiration and gorgeous photos of Margaret's quilts....it is also a darn good read.
You will not be able to put it down until you get to the very last page as Margaret shares her stories and skills. Margaret tells us some really great stories about her quilting life and some of the ways she finds her inspiration.
It is impossible to make your way through this book with out being filled with inspiration and excitement....not just for the applique projects we already have on the go....but all those we want to do....and reading Margaret's words will remind you of all that is great about this wonderful pastime we love so much...she just talks with such joy about the pleasure we get from design, colour , fabric and stitching.....and encourages everyone to embrace the joy, have fun and always 'do your own thing'.
The book has patterns, templates and guidance for many of Margaret's stunning quilts but there is also more to this book and you will find many beautiful design ideas and templates, with Margaret's encouragement to play around with design and use the elements you most love to really make your quilts your own individual project....as the title says...."Take an Element".....now who knows where it end.
Hope you are all looking forward to a year of sewing and we hope that we can also make this a wonderful year of sharing....we want to see ALL of your projects and we will show you pics of our projects too(no pressure there then).....email us photos of your work anytime and we will make sure to share it in our newsletters and on our social media pages.