Blog

Wattle

The acacia is probably most well known by its blooming flowers which come up like wee little pom poms on it’s branches. These little buds are more commonly called wattle and pose much suffering for their hay-fever victims particularly in my home town, Canberra. There are literally thousands of acacia varieties across the world and […]

Read more

Banksia

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which I draw my inspiration. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past, present and future. Australian Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 40,000 years. For many (many!) generations the land provided them with everything they […]

Read more

Creating your blocks

For Raspberry Applique, I think it is really important to understand the history of Hawaiian quilting. Although I have created my own designs based on my local culture, I acknowledge that I am borrowing and sharing their techniques with you. I truly believe we can only be richer by paying our respect to their culture […]

Read more

Getting started and fabric slab tutorial

Raspberry Applique is made up of nine blocks, which will be released at the start of each month. To get you on your way, this tutorial explains what you will need to get started and the instructions for the ‘fabric slabs’ if you want to add an extra, modern element to your quilt. Getting started […]

Read more

Cutting textile waste one stitch at a time

Every year, the average Australian buys 27 kilos a fabric EACH. My guess is they are not a quilter! I saw a statistic recently – in the last 12 months a ‘dedicated quilter’ bought an average of 90 meters of fabric. 90 meters. In. One. Year. Thats the equivalent of 36 jelly rolls, 97 t-shirts […]

Read more
Saving money and quilting can totally be done!

How to save money quilting and keep on sewing

Quilting can be an expensive hobby – no doubt about it. There are some essentials that you can’t live without. For me, that’s my sewing machine, sewing table, mat, rotary blade, my general sewing supplies, a fabric stash, batting, threads and the list goes on and on… And we all know just how addictive quilting is! […]

Read more

Modern Colour Workshop, an extract

The following is an extract from Crystal’s online book – Modern Colour Workshop. The book covers the essentials of colour theory and explores how it relates to choosing fabrics for your quilts. You will learn about colour relationships and why they matter; how to curate a colour palette using a variety of techniques; and the […]

Read more
Carribean dream quilt

Caribbean Dreams quilts

Caribbean dreaming lead to the creation of this quilt, when I fell in love with Jamaican culture through dance and music last year. This quilt aims to capture and celebrate the riddims, spirit and irie vibes I found in Dancehall. Bonus pic of me with my dance crew at the end of this post! Download […]

Read more

Quilts in pop culture

Have you noticed all the quilts popping up lately? If you’re a total quilt addict like, me, they’re always everywhere,  and it’s always exciting to see them in the background of TV or movie scenes. I mean, How to Make an American Quilt has been around forever but recently, I feel like they are all […]

Read more

The secret life of cotton

Have you ever thought about cotton beyond buying fabric at the quilt store or checking the label on your clothing? As a textile lover, cotton has always held a special place in my heart. Cotton is a beautiful fibre, which is highly versatile as well as soft, natural and breathable. I love to wear cotton […]

Read more