Just had to tell you about the big Wycheproof weekend! Had a fantastic time again this year with “The Girls”. It’s such a humbling experience, as so many of them travel for over an hour to get there and I’m not talking about from one side of the city to the other in peak hour traffic, I’m talking well over 100km (65miles).

It took Emma and I four hours each way to get there too, and there was lots of brain storming, sewing and laughing all the way there and back!

Anyway, I’m expecting to see 24 sensational Aussie Sewing Tote photos very soon! We also took up a “virtual website” which consisted of one of everything in habby we stock, plus the sample headers of my fabrics and then as many bolts as we could fit in the car.

I’m looking forward to getting into the shop tomorrow and packing up the girls’ orders to send with all the things they decided they had to have!

Such a beautiful group of quilters to work with, and an enviable community spirit that in the last decade has survived severe drought and floods in an incredible and vast landscape of cereal and sheep farming.

So while there is a huge year ahead, full of new challenges, overseas trips and craft fairs, it’s so nice to know that no matter how the year ends up, I’ll be back to Wycheproof same time next year to do it all again!

It’s been a while! One week seems to blur into the next at the moment, there’s “Dutch Stuff” everywhere, Aussie Sewing Swag samples to finish and the car to pack for Wycheproof this weekend! For those who are as busy as me, I thought you might like a quick look at some newly finished projects that are also in this week’s newsletter.

This is a Downtown Tote, for heading “Downtown” to shop with the girls! I have also made another in Dutch Cottage which I will reveal soon.

And here’s Panel Magic, check out the exceptionally cool peacocks, I really like the rich creams in this collection.

With all the amazing people and contacts I’ve made over the last couple of years, there also comes a lot of privileges and responsibility. For example, the package that arrived today! I’m no different to anyone else, I LOVE getting parcels in the mail, particularly ones from overseas and Especially from wonderful companies like Riley Blake!

Have a look at these stunning new fabrics and matching ribbon! These have arrived for me to make a new project to help promote their new fabric range Apple of My Eye. So I’ll be going to bed tonight with my mind hard at work, finalising a quirky new bed throw and cushion design!

Emma and I are off to Wycheproof this weekend - Road Trip! Looking forward to seeing all the girls again, and getting some serious bag making done. Wycheproof has a population of just over 800, with a huge regional cereal growing industry. When I visited last year, the area had been devastated by floods only a couple of weeks before, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the community has moved on and grown in the last 12 months. So look out girls, here we come!

Four days into the official Summer Holidays and I need a routine.   Without the normal daily commitments, I get so over enthusiast about everything, start too many things, and then I find it’s already 5pm and nothing has been completed!

There was a brief moment yesterday when I felt I had some control over day to day events, only to throw that thought out the window when my lovely Fedex girl arrived at the door.

The first samples of The Culture Club’s Dutch Cottage are here!

Nothing can replace seeing Under the Australian Sun for the first time, Culture Club’s Passage to India was a huge thrill, but Dutch Cottage in one word - ME!

Can’t wait to show you of course, have to wait a week or two, but I can show you the selvedges!

The folks at Kaufman thought up the clog idea - very cute.

What I think is a giggle is how Multi Cultural it is. If you read the selvedge details left to right, it goes:

An Aussie designed it for an American Company, with Dutch designs and made it in Japan!

Right, I feel the need to make a Dutch Apple Pie for New Year’s Eve dessert coming on….

So here I am, writing my New Year’s resolution list!

Item 1 - start blogging! I don’t know why it’s been so hard to get active on my blog page. It’s not like I don’t have enough to share, let alone say…..

I think it’s been hard because I honestly don’t think people will want to listen to my ramblings and have better things to do, such as piecing, appliqueing, quilting and fabric shopping!

I was thinking though over Christmas lunch, that I wished my friends, near and far, could see what a beautiful day it was at mum and dad’s farm. Particularly for those in the Northern Hemisphere this is a sight to behold as it’s so different to a Winter Christmas.

Then the light bulb went off. I’ll just treat my blog as a personal diary! Here I can record my thoughts, cool patchwork ideas, the odd recipe or two, and things that I find excite and inspire me to sew. If other people find some fun and value in reading it too, then that’ an added bonus!

So, here’s a photo of the outlook from Mum and Dad’s (Pam and Murray’s) beautiful property in rural Victoria.

In true Aussie style we had lamb and mint sausages and prawns on the BBQ! The prawns ended up in a salad as shown and the sausages in hot bread rolls.

The Prawn Salad is very simple to make:

• Prawns
• Chopped Spring Onions
• Sliced Avocado
• Sliced Mango
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Any seafood or mayonnaise based dressing works well with this combo, and a little chilli doesn’t go astray either!

It’s a beautiful day in Melbourne and I have a super big list to get through, including quilt designs for my next Culture Club range - Dutch Cottage. So while it’s Summer Holiday time (the boys are still asleep at 9am!) I’d better get started on the day.

Warm Wishes, Happy Sewing, Leesa.

So here I am, writing my New Year’s resolution list!

Item 1 - start blogging! I don’t know why it’s been so hard to get active on my blog page. It’s not like I don’t have enough to share, let alone say…..

I think it’s been hard because I honestly don’t think people will want to listen to my ramblings and have better things to do, such as piecing, appliqueing, quilting and fabric shopping!

I was thinking though over Christmas lunch, that I wished my friends, near and far, could see what a beautiful day it was at mum and dad’s farm. Particularly for those in the Northern Hemisphere this is a sight to behold as it’s so different to a Winter Christmas.

Then the light bulb went off. I’ll just treat my blog as a personal diary! Here I can record my thoughts, cool patchwork ideas, the odd recipe or two, and things that I find excite and inspire me to sew. If other people find some fun and value in reading it too, then that’ an added bonus!

So, here’s a photo of the outlook from Mum and Dad’s (Pam and Murray’s) beautiful property in rural Victoria.

In true Aussie style we had lamb and mint sausages and prawns on the BBQ! The prawns ended up in a salad as shown and the sausages in hot bread rolls.

The Prawn Salad is very simple to make:

• Prawns
• Chopped Spring Onions
• Sliced Avocado
• Sliced Mango
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Any seafood or mayonnaise based dressing works well with this combo, and a little chilli doesn’t go astray either!

It’s a beautiful day in Melbourne and I have a super big list to get through, including quilt designs for my next Culture Club range - Dutch Cottage. So while it’s Summer Holiday time (the boys are still asleep at 9am!) I’d better get started on the day.

Warm Wishes, Happy Sewing, Leesa.

Hi Everyone,

Yes, yes, slack, slack, no blogging has been happening!

Today inspired me to write though, Biffy and I had a fantastic day at the Mornington Peninsula Patchworkers Guild.

What a classy group of ladies! Beautiful show and tell quilts, lots of laughs and I received the most beautiful indoor plant that has taken pride of place on my kitchen table.

I’ve just sat down to finish off some new patterns, including one with Riley Blake fabrics. (Sorry, should have made sure you were sitting down before I let that one out!)

Strippy Strawberries will be released next week.

I also have on the studio table some divine new fabrics from Red Rooster called Serenity by Anna Fishkin. There’s a Southern Jewels meets Asian Screens thing happening, so stay tuned for that one next week!

Anyway, must put the feet up for a while tonight (that’s secret code for sit on the couch and make Suffolk Puffs for another Riley Blake number!) as Biffy and I need to redo the shop window tomorrow. Our shipment of Indian giftware arrived while I was out today. Beautiful wooden chests of ceramic drawers, elephants and lanterns. They will all look good with blue prints in Passage toIndiaand some sensational new Sevenberry prints that have that lovely teal and indigo look to them.

Hope you are all well, and sorry for the slack blogging, it won’t happen again! Warm Wishes, Leesa

I hope everyone has had a great weekend, and I have certainly enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather here in Melbourne. Whether you're in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere, now is the time to air those quilts. They have either been cooped up inside all Winter, or stuck in a cupboard all Summer, so get them out into the fresh air to freshen up!

This week at Chandlers Cottage, the icredible new Kyoto range of fusions from Robert Kaufman are in store, and on the website, there's lot of beautiful new giftware including Chinese and Japanese teasets, Christmas decorations and adorable Owl teacandle holders. Pop in if you get a chance to see what's new, and we will pop in the giftshop on the website in the next couple of days, all that's suitable to mail to you.

Hi Girls!

Well, I've finally done it - I've given in the to blog! But, you know how I love to chat, and this way I can tell you what's happening at Chandlers Cottage, day or night!

So, where to start? First of all, a big hello to the girls from Daylesford that popped into the shop this morning, what a classy group of girls, and no doubt their quilts will be just the same!

There are so many new fabrics in store this week, but probably my favourites is the Oriental Traditions 8 collection with lots of rich large florals, kanji and Geishas. Check them out on the website!

If you are one of our valued customers in the US, please note you can now buy my patterns direct in the US from the Superior Thread company. www.superiorthreads.com and my Under the Australian Sun fabrics are now available on line from Hancock's at www.hancocks-paducah.com

Well, that's it for today, no, I'm not attempting to put a photo on the first blog - we'll save that challenge for next time! Cheers, Leesa

Chandler Chatter is the newest section of our website, where we will post the all the latest news relating to Chandler's Cottage, so be sure to check back regularly.