Hello From The Hug!

(April 2007)

G’day all! Well, Easter is almost upon us - will the Easter Bilby be visiting you? For those of you from overseas, a bilby is a small furry native marsupial with large ears and a pointy nose that is on the endangered list. In many parts of Australia, rabbits are a pest, so a few years ago, someone came up with the bright idea to replace the Easter Bunny with the Easter Bilby – providing an opportunity to let more people know about the Bilby’s plight while discouraging rabbits. I’m not sure how many rabbits have become aware of this re-education program and been discouraged, but there you go!!

After a busy start to the year the residents of the Tag Along Teddies Hug are looking forward to a quiet Easter at home, with only a couple of dinners with family and friends planned for the long weekend. I’m hoping it will provide my clever computer wiz husband with some time to work on my web site a bit more to give all of you loyal Tag Along Teddies fans some new things to look at. That’s the plan – we’ll see how we go!!

Those of you who have been checking in regularly with the Tag Along Teddies Hug and reading the newsletters, may recall me mentioning a design that had been put on hold earlier in the year to give me time to finalise the book bag project that will be appearing in the June issue of “Homespun” magazine. The space-walking bear, or “Milky Way Bear” as the pattern will be named, is just about ready to go! By the end of April, “Milky Way Bear” will be available for stitchers to get stuck into. This pattern includes two variations of a stitchery, one for a wall hanging and one for a name hanger designed for the door of a child’s bedroom. Both projects have a zigzag edge feature with rusty bells sewn to the zigzag points and I have to say that I’ve been very pleased with how they’ve sewn up! A project can sometimes change a lot between design on paper and reality, so it’s always a bit of a lucky dip! So all those people with sons, grandsons, nephews or who have friends with a little boy, keep an eye out for this new design!

For the shopaholics amongst us, you’ll also be excited to hear that I’m in the midst of sewing the prototype for a patchwork bag that is ideal for a day at the shopping centre! This simple patchwork strip bag features a stitchery pocket with a lovely little girl bear showing off the results of her shopping spree. I’m hoping that the “Shop Til You Drop” bag will be on the web site by the end of April, too, so go on a practice shopping spree at your fave patchwork shop to gather your fabrics so you’re ready to sew!

That’s all there is to report from the Tag Along Teddies Hug for now, so make sure you keep checking in with the web site to enjoy the changes that are happening and I’ll catch up with you again in the next ‘Hello From The Hug’!

CHEERS!
KRIS

TIP

• Are you collecting fabrics for a quilting project and taking a little bit of time to do so to spread out the cost and to find just the right fabrics? To make sure you’re getting the right colours/tones and so you don’t double up, cut yourself a rectangle of cardboard that will fit into your purse/handbag and staple samples of the fabrics you’ve collected so far. This makes it very easy to check colours and patterns so you make the most of your ‘play’ money! (Money needed to play!!)
  
• If you see a new fabric that really catches your eye, but you don’t have a specific project in mind to use it for, buy a 30cm strip. A piece of fabric this size will give you enough fabric to make a number of strips or squares for patchwork, some good lengths for stitchery borders or binding, plenty of scope for appliqué and matching patches or strips and will also give you a good length for dolls dresses or trousers, with the width for wide skirts or dolly dresses with puffed sleeves. If you REALLY fall for the fabric, lash out and buy half a metre, as this gives you enough to use on several projects or some larger projects - some country cloth doll dresses need 40cm or more for dress length.
  
• If you’re like me and have a LONG list of projects you’d like to tackle in the future, cut yourself some business card-size pieces of cardboard. On each card, write the name of one project and the requirements, particularly fabric and accessory requirements. Make a card for each project and slip them into the card section of your purse or wallet. Then, when you hit your fave patchwork shop or visit a craft show, you know exactly what you’re on the hunt for.