Moore Patchwork & Quilting

Time for a Change

The exciting news is that I am changing the name of my business from Moore Patchwork & Quilting to Lyn Briggs Designs.

I've been thinking about it for a while but it was when we were on our UK holiday that I made the decision. Sometimes stepping back helps you to see things more clearly.

When I started Moore Patchwork & Quilting in 2005, I only sold other designers' patterns but gradually over time, I started designing more and more of my own patterns until now I only sell my own designs. Because of that, I believe the name Lyn Briggs Designs is a better reflection of my business today.

With my new name, I also have a new store

The biggest change in the new store is that all PDF patterns will be available for immediate download at the time of purchase. The other change is that all payments go through Paypal - either your Paypal account or credit card. I'm hoping that both of these changes will make shopping easier.

Oh, and of course there's a new blog and from next week I will be posting from here.

I Love Xmas....

In amongst all the admin work I've been doing lately, I've managed to finish my I Love Xmas project.

The quilting went quickly and I'm glad I machine quilted in the ditch of the seams of the stars because it does make them stand out more.

The finished size is 24" x 12"

The pattern is available in both printed and pdf formats in my new shop!

Until next time

Lyn

 

 

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October Newsletter

Yet another month is over and a new one started; which means that it's time (already) for another newsletter.

The Family Blessings quilt is almost finished and the October newsletter includes the instructions for assembling the blocks. I love this part of a project when all the parts start coming together - I'm always impatient to get it finished.

'Things I've Learned Along the Way' is about the quilt backing and I share my favourite method.

I also give a rundown on a quilt show I visited in York on my recent UK trip and have included photos of my favourite quilts.

'Show and Tell' is about the Alphabet Girls and in the 'Inspiration Column' I ask "Are you a Mary or a Martha?". For me, I'm a bit of both depending on what  day it is!

Hope you enjoy it.

Until next time

Lyn

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Operation Christmas Child

Yesterday I put the finishing touches to my shoebox.

In the end I accummulated quite a lot of 'stuff' and filled the six categories:

Something to Wear - the blue and green item at the bottom is a beanie I crocheted from a pattern on the Samaritan's Purse Website. It was very quick and easy to make.

Something to Love - the teddy bear I knitted.

Something Special - the brightly coloured carry bag I made.

Something to Play with - tennis ball.

Some things for School - pencil case; coloured pencils; ruler; lead pencils; exercise books; 3 notebooks.

Something for personal hygiene - soap and washer.

They all fit nicely in my box which I've labelled for a boy 10-14 years old.

My prayer is that a boy will be blessed this Christmas and feel special knowing that each item was lovingly chosen just for him.

Until next time

Lyn

 

 

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Operation Christmas Child

Newsletter WIP

It always amazes me how quickly each month goes! It's only two weeks before my next newsletter is due to be sent out so today I spent some time sorting out some photos.

I wanted to share some more of my UK holiday particularly one of my favourite towns - York. I visited a Quilt Museum there and so I went through my photos and selected some of the quilts I saw. The quilts were all made in the 17 - 1800s and were really amazing. My mind boggles when I think about how the makers managed to do all of the hand piecing without good lighting.  My eyes hurt thinking about it.

I also thought it was time to give an update on the progress of my Alphabet Girls - it seems that some people have fallen for the girls as much as I have and wondered how they were going.  I can sum it up in one word - Slow.  But, progress is happening.

Anyway, that's part of my plan for the October Newsletter.

Operation Christmas Child...

Meanwhile my Shoebox is progressing nicely.  Yesterday I wrapped it in colourful Christmas wrapping and it is ready to be filled.

My teddy bear is complete (the tartan ribbon was purchased in Scotland) and he looks pretty dapper. So I can tick off 'Something to Love'

For 'Something Special' I made a brightly coloured carry bag. I chose a bright colour so it stands out in the crowd. I hope my boy likes it.

The  category I find the most difficult is 'Something to Wear' because of not knowing the size of the child. After much thought, I decided on a beanie and downloaded a pattern from the Operation Christmas Child website and will start on that tonight.

Until next time

Lyn

 

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Operation Christmas Child

On my work table at the moment is -

an empty shoe box. Although it won't stay empty for long because I plan to fill it up with goodies for a special child as part of Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child.

If you haven't heard of them before, I encourage you to go to the website and in particular watch the video and see what impact a shoe box can have on a child's life. You can also download the brochures (like the one I have on my box) which will guide you in how to choose suitable gifts.

No shoebox? Well, I didn't have one either and not wanting to buy a pair of shoes, I went to my local shoe shop and asked if they had any spare boxes and they happily gave me one. They told me that people ask for them all the time and if they don't give away their spare boxes they end of throwing them into the recycling bin.

When it comes to filling the shoebox, it is recommended that you choose something from each of six categories - something to wear, something to love, something special, some things for school, something to play with and something for personal hygiene.

Last night I started on my Something to Love gift - a knitted teddy bear. I've made a lot of these over the years and find that they are just the right size to fit into a shoe box. I'm making mine in 8ply and they usually take an evening to knit and another to sew up. On the Operation Christmas Child website you can also find some other patterns for gifts as well.

The Australian boxes have to be in by October and I have a few other things I want to make as well - so I had better get cracking!

Until next time

Lyn

September Newsletter

It's the first day of a new month and that's the day I send out my monthly newsletter. I actually started the September Newsletter before we went away. The only part I had to add was about my trip and I've included a photo of myself admiring Lake Windermere. 

This month's Inspiration Column is about the impact the Rajah Quilt had on me and how it reminded me that God can use whatever we do to change someone's life.

And this basket? Well this month Things I've Learned Along the Way is all about stash organisation.  I share how I organise my stash and encourage you to find what works for you.

The newsletter also includes the next instalment of the Family Blessings Block of the Month. All of the stitching is now finished and we add borders to all of the stitchey blocks.  I use my favourite technique and because my quilt is very 'scrappy' I've used different fabrics for each border.

Also in the newsletter is the usual Show and Tell and specials on my patterns.

Until next time

Lyn

P.S. Details of my newsletter are in the sidebar or if you would like more information please email me.

 

 

Travel Journal

Before I went away, I made a cover for my travel journal - My Trip. Turned out that one journal wasn't enough and I had to rush off to the nearest WH Smith and buy another one!

Every day I filled in at least one page on the day's events.  I used travel brochures and maps as sources for collage and added buttons, ribbons, tapes, ric-rac and anything else I could find for decoration.

Along with the journal I took with me some basic art supplies like glue, scissors, stapler and colouring pencils. I also purchased ribbons and buttons on my travels.

Before I left, the lovely Caroline forwarded a pin from Pinterest which suggested that while on a trip, send yourself a postcard every day.  You can record what you did for the day and it gives a good basis for a travel journal. I really thought that was a good idea - so almost every day (I only missed about 2 days) I bought a postcard from a place we were visiting; wrote about something we did that day; and then posted it back to myself.

It was wonderful to arrive home on Monday to find a pile of postcards waiting for me. Better still, it was nice to receive a couple more today! The fact that they are stamped and postmarked from UK makes it even better.

I'm now going to put them into my travel journal(s).

Until next time

Lyn

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Hi Everyone! We arrived back safely last night (Sunday) and found it almost impossible to sleep (my body is still on UK time).  I'm hoping that in a couple of days the whole dizzy light-headed thing will pass.

We had such a good time. We saw so many beautiful sights that it's hard for me to pick out highlights but off the top of my head:

1. Discovered some great yarn-bombing while walking around Oxford. 

2. Loved London - it's clean, easy to get around and there were lots of colourful flowers everywhere. Walked across the Abbey Road crossing; hired a deck chair next to the Serpentine in Hyde Park; went to Portobello markets; visited V&A museum; went running through Hyde Park early in the morning.

3. Loved Edinburgh too - caught the train and when we walked out of the station looked up and saw the castle on a giant rock overlooking the city. An amazing sight. It was festival time and the city was crowded and there were lots of things happening in the streets - added to the city's beauty. It was the coldest place we went to - colder than our paradise winter and it was summer!

4. Ate yummy food including 'cream teas'. The best scones are in the north of UK by the way. As for Cornish pasties - yum!

5. The Lakes District was our favourite spot. Beautiful scenery and nice little towns. We stayed in Keswick and our hotel window looked straight across the rooftops to the mountains.

6. York was a favourite city of mine. Loved wandering around the narrow streets and went for a run beside the Ouse River.

7. Robin discovered that being tall has it's disadvantages. Another couple of weeks and he would have been permanently bent over!

8. The Cornwall coastline is breathtaking. It is so dramatic with the cliffs and the beautiful blue water. Visited Doc Martin's village and walked down and up the streets of Clovelly. (All the time I was walking down I was worried about how I was going to get back up.)

9. Stayed in some interesting places. The oldest was a farmhouse in Cornwall that was built in 1350.

10. Visited so many interesting little towns including Wigtown, Hay on Wye, Rye, Tonbridge, Lincoln, Portpatrick, Linlithgow.....the list goes on! Loved visiting musems and finding out about the local history.

There is a lot more things I can share but for now that will have to do because I'm going to have to go to bed very very early tonight!

Until next time

Lyn

Family Blessings - Home

Another block from my newsletter quilt Family Blessings (see the right hand side bar for details) is Home.

What do you think of when you see the word 'home'? To me 'home' is a place that is warm and welcoming; where I don't have to pretend to be anyone other than myself; where I am loved uncondtionally; and where I feel safe.

That's what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 11:28 when he said "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest."

Life can be tiring - lots of things that we carry around in our hearts and minds really weigh us down. Things like guilt, rejection and all sorts of hurts.

When we put our faith in Jesus he takes these things away and we enter into his rest where we receive unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness... sounds like home!

Except the home that Jesus has for us is for eternity.

Until next time

Lyn

 

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Quilt Exhibition

Yesterday I went to the Queensland Art Gallery to see the Quilts 1700-1945 exhibition. All of the quilts were just beautiful especially the ones with embroidery which was so detailed.

But, the best part of the day for me was seeing the Rajah quilt in person. (That's the postcard on the bottom.) The Rajah quilt was made by a group of convict women being transported to Tasmania on the ship called The Rajah in1841 . The quilt is huge (about 3m x 3m) and its creativity and workmanship are amazing especially considering the cirumstances in which it was made. But, the thing I found most interesting is a stitchery block on the quilt.

A couple of years ago I read the biography of Elizabeth Fry who was a great prison reformer in the early 1800s in London. She formed a group of women who went into the women's prison and not only ministered to their physical needs but also taught them how to sew. The aim was to give them an occupation that would help support themselves when they were released from prison. When the convicts boarded the transportation ships they were given supplies to help them and included were needles, thread and fabric. It was from these supplies that the Rajah quilt was made.

On the stitchery block, the convict women dedicated the quilt to the group of women who helped them in prison, thanking them for what they had done and assuring them that what they had been taught had not been in vain.

What a legacy

Until next time

Lyn