Issue One
meet cat&vee
aurora
+ an exclusive project
a star sampler from Alyce Blyth
save those selvedges to make a beautiful quilt!
sewing with kids it’s easier than you think
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projects make
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beyond squares
hexagons + curves + 3D pinwheels 1 issue one
contents projects frozen blooms
circlet
Kelly Elliott
Serena Edwards
trip around the universe
pavement puddles Melissa Gottliebsen
Molli Sparkles
pretty petals
puzzled
Anorina Morris
Juliet van der Heijden
eat your words
storybook
cat&vee
Ruth Bourke
bright side of the moon
betty hearts fabric
Jane Kelly
Kristy Lea
hexie pincushion
aurora: part one
Lara Motta
Alyce Blyth
49 easy as pie
simple nine-patch
Gina Ferraro
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Brooke and Lily
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issue one features
regular pages
memory cats
from the editor
cat&vee
meet the makers 7
instagram for quilters
maths and methods
finding the right longarmer
domestic quilting goddess
schnitzel & boo mini quilt swap
giveaways
stash happens
ask the makers
alyce blyth
library next issue
general project directions Please read all instructions before starting a project. Recommended fabrics are 100% cotton, quilting quality. Requirements are based on 44” wide. All directions assume the use of a ¼” seam. General sewing supplies of sewing machine, threads, rotary cutter, mat, rulers, scissors etc are assumed and are not listed. Other specific tools required will be listed. We have more detailed directions for various techniques, in the General Techniques resource section on our website: makemodern.com.au
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meet the makers
Alyce Blyth @blossomheartquilts blog
Kelly Elliott @Kelliottmagicss website
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Ruth Bourke
Catherine Demack
Serena Edwards
@cbcraftycorner
@hellofromcat
@sewgiving
blog
website
blog
Gina Ferraro
Melissa Gottliebsen
@partyofeightoustory blog
@msmidge blog
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Jane Kelly @wherejanecreates blog
issue one
meet the makers
Jo King
Kristy Lea
Kristi McDonough Anorina Morris
@riddlingwhimsy
@quietplay
@schnitzelandboo
@sameliasmum
blog
blog
blog
blog
Lara Motta @luellabella
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Molli Sparkles Juliet van der Heijden
Vanita Snell
@mollisparkles blog
@hellofromvee website
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@tartankiwi blog
issue one
make the bed
pavement
puddles
by Melissa Gottliebsen
T make
riangles are so very versatile in quilt making. This quilt shows how the placement of fabric within the triangle pieces allows for two different hexagon shapes. Scattered placement across the quilt gives the look of puddles just after a rain storm.
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on the home front
eat
your words by cat&vee
he fabulous design duo Cat&Vee have designed and printed two brand new placemat panels especially for this first issue of ! These panels are available in their Etsy shop. As a fun project, they’ve also created four patchworked-word patterns to sew as backing panels to make the placemats reversible – or they can be sewn as a stand-alone project. Make the words scrappy, make them matching, make them fun, and bring a little love and sunshine to your table.
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living on the edge
bright
side of the moon by Jane Kelly
A make
s an obsessive collector of selvedges, our editor Jane found the perfect way to display them in this stunning appliquéd quilt. The low volume background is the perfect backdrop for these brightly coloured so-called ‘scraps’!
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curves ahead
frozen
blooms
by Kelly Elliott
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odern quilting is all about the unexpected, like taking a classic quilt block (in this case the Flowering Snowball) and giving it a modern twist by adding complementary blocks and plenty of negative space.
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practicalities
stash happens
building and maintaining a workable fabric stash
et’s talk about something near and dear to every quilter’s heart – fabric. Regardless of our personal style or favourite colour, we all seem to be inexplicably drawn to cotton fibres the minute we take up quilting. And as soon as we become dedicated quilters we express our dedication to the craft by buying fabric. And more fabric, and more fabric, and a little more fabric, until we’re looking for new storage options and pushing STABLE – stash totally above and beyond life expectancy.
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All this is well and good and keeps the industry going (which means they’ll keep making more fabric, woohoo!), but if you buy random fabric with no particular plan in mind, you may find that you end up with an unmanageable stash that’s creatively stifling and totally overhwhelming, and that wasn’t the intention at all. you quilt – Take a moment to think about that is, your personal style. For example, I like scrappy quilts with tons of different prints mixed in, but I tend to stick to one or two colours in each quilt. Kristy, on the other hand, will find a fabric line she loves and a pattern she loves, and marry up the two. Both of these are perfectly valid ways to work with fabric, but they require different approaches to purchasing and storing.
Stash by @cloverandviolet
single ranges If you fall in love with a range of fabric, buying a quarter or half yard bundle is a very convenient way to get the whole range. You’ve got the makings of a perfectly coordinated quilt right there, ready to go. One thing to note: only buy fabric ranges you’re totally in love with. Trends come and go in the online quilting world and particular designers get hyped up – but it is totally okay to decide you don’t like whatever the current big thing is and pass it over. Don’t succumb to peer pressure or you’ll most likely wind up with a stack of fabric you’ll never use. Pre-cuts are very useful and time-saving if you like to make patterns that require certain sizes of fabric, and they are a fantastic way to get a tiny taste of an entire fabric range. However, they can be limiting, so fat quarters are usually a more economical and versatile way to buy unless you’ve got a specific pattern in mind. It’s no surprise that Moda named their pre-cuts after sweet treats; they’re the quilt shop version of candy at the supermarket checkout.
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good things in small packages
betty hearts
by Kristy Lea
fabric
n this little mini quilt, our most beloved ‘50s housewife Betty has been taken out of the kitchen and introduced to fabric. Oh, what a slippery slope it is! Somehow, we’re sure you can relate!
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ask the makers
favourite quilt tools ach issue, we ask our contributors a very important question about some aspect of quilting. Since we’re always looking at expanding our skills and techniques, and love sneaking peeks in other people’s sewing boxes, this issue we asked everyone what their favourite quilting tools were. There were a few recurring themes, and some tips for the best brands – make sure you’ve got these goodies in your tool box!
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Jane Kelly, MM Editor “I love my OTT Lite. My studio doesn’t have great lighting, and I often work at night, so I love that my OTT Lite allows me to work for longer and shows colours and details clearly. I have it set up behind my sewing machine and I find it really helps with eyestrain and my posture while I sew, which means I get to sew longer.”
Kristy Lea, MM Creative Director “I’d have to say my seam ripper, as sometimes I rip just as many seams as I sew. I also love my itty bitty sharp embroidery scissors for fine work like reverse appliqué.”
Lara Motta, MM Business Manager “I'm easy to please – my favourite tools are a rotary cutter, my 24” x 6" ruler and nice sharp needles for both hand stitching and machining!”
Melissa of Ms Midge “I'm going to say my unpicker. And it's probably not always my favourite quilting tool - but since losing my beloved Bernina unpicker a couple of weeks ago, I can now truly value its importance in my life! I'm stuck with a crappy little one that gets caught on fabric when I'm unpicking!”
Gina of Party of Eight: Our Story “My rotary cutter and rulers are my favourite tools, followed closely by my iron. I also love having washi tape on hand to mark the quarter-inch spot on my machine.”
Molli of Molli Sparkles “Oh heavens to Betsi! I couldn't live without my Bloc_Loc HST ruler, Frixion pen, or my Clover Wonder Clips. They're like a corset, they make my sewing life a cinch!”
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Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts “My secret weapon is my Clover Finger Presser. For small seams, and especially paper piecing, I don't bother with the iron until it's time to press a row of seams to the side or for the final block.”
Serena of Sew Giving “I’ve recently found the Clover Hera Marker and I love it! It’s great for marking straight line quilting lines or boundary lines for FMQ patterns. Not having to un-peel quilting masking tape or erase lines after quilting just makes the process that little bit quicker and easier.”
Kelly of Kelliott Magic “My absolute favourite is my iron. I love pressing those seams for neat finishes and to make my ironing time quicker I love my spray starch.”
Anorina of Samelia’s Mum “Clover Wonder Clips, because they’re perfect for holding down binding. I also love my Raskog trolley from IKEA, it’s perfect for keeping everything on it and then wheeling it around the house.”
Juliet of The Tartan Kiwi “I have been on a bit of a quest recently to find the perfect quick unpick. I think I've found it in the Seam Fix Seam Ripper. Its big enough that you are not continually losing it and the tip is thin enough that you are not in danger of ripping the fabric when used on tiny paper piecing stitches and the rubber bits on the end are great for gently rubbing away the tiny fragments of thread that are left by unpicking.”
Cat of cat&vee “My favourite quilting tool is template plastic marked with a quarter inch grid, which I use to make lots of little templates for fussy cutting. My favourite new quilting toy is a circular rotating cutting mat, which has been a bit of a revelation for trimming small blocks.”
Ruth of Ben and Charly’s Corner “I'm not sure you can call a flannel sheet strung between a book case and a mirror a quilting tool but for almost a year it worked as my design wall. I found it invaluable for testing designs, arranging fabric and keeping my fabric in the correct order when chain piecing rows together. I really missed it when I was a few weeks without it, as my uncle was making me a 7ft x 4ft board. I've covered the board with wadding and now I can move it around when I need to. I absolutely love it!”
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