Di Mill

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February 02, 2017

Splendid Sampler Block 97

Hello Splendid Samplerites. 

Welcome to block 97! You are almost there and I must say I am in awe of all of you who have been able to join in and complete your blocks each week.

My block is a reminiscent of a small purse that I once made as a child. It was one of the first projects I made. The original purse was crocheted with plastic handles. I think I was about 9 when I made it and I remember the pride I had on completing the project. I took it to church with me that weekend and I thought I was very cool!  That is one of my earliest memories of the joy and delight of making something yourself. I was very lucky that my Mum taught me how to sew at a young age. Mum made all of my clothes when I was younger and I remember the excitement of choosing the fabric and the pattern and then waiting for Mum to make it. One of my favourite possessions when I was young was a patchwork quilt that Mum made. She made it from scraps of my flannel pyjamas. It wasn't quilted - just backed with a flannel sheet. I absolutely loved it and wrapped myself up in it on the lounge during winter each night while watching TV. Another of my childhood memories is playing in Mum's button tin, which contained a beautiful selection of buttons that were mostly one of a kind, left over from previous projects. It was a royal blue tin with a lovely red rose on it. I loved playing with them and my own children have also found the same enjoyment while visiting their Grandma.

My block is a combination of the above memories. A purse design, tiny patchwork blocks to represent the quilt Mum made for me, and I've added two buttons to my block in memory of Mum's button tin. I have been using the fabric range called "Fleurs" by Brenda Riddle for Moda.

 

 

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The downloadable pattern can be found on the Splendid Sampler website

I am very fortunate to be able to work in the Patchwork and Quilting industry. I am a sales rep for 2 distributors in Australia, which means I spend my time in Quilt Shops showing the owners the latest fabric ranges that are available for purchase. To be able to spend my days surrounded by creativity is such a pleasure. I absolutely love my job. It is a joy to go to work each day. There is nothing more exciting than receiving a box that is full of samples of the newest fabric collections. The area that I represent is the state of Queensland in Australia, and this entails quite a lot of travel and our state is quite large - 3 1/2 times the size of the state of Texas in the USA! I really enjoy the traveling as I can be driving the scenic route along the coast in far Nth Queensland or driving in the outback in western Queensland. The countryside can be quite diverse but I enjoy all of it. I especially enjoy visiting the shop owners. I am very lucky to have such lovely retailers in my state. Working with such warm and friendly people makes my job so much easier.

Below are some of the scenes that I see while on the road traveling around the state:

 

Emus crossing the road in outback Queensland

Emus

Sunrise near Biloila

Sunrise

Crossing the Alice River near Barcaldine

Alice River

The scenic road to Port Douglas

Pt douglas

The Atherton Tablelands near Cairns

Tablelands

 I hope you all enjoy making my block. I will be checking Facebook and the website to see all of your interpretations.

 If you would like to see more of my crazy life, I am on Instagram. 

Take care....Di

Posted at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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August 10, 2016

We have a Winner!

We have a winner for the Splendid Sampler Giveaway.

Thank you to everyone who commented. I was blown away by the number of you who took the time to comment.  I have really enjoyed reading all of your tips on how you squeeze in your sewing time. I find even 10 minutes here and there helps me feel like I've been creative and gives me a feeling of comfort.

 

Giveaway winner IMG_2683  IMG_2885


 

So congratulations BARB ALLEN - you have won my prize. I have emailed you Barb so check your inbox.

 

Barb said: Thank you for being a Splendid Sampler designer! As far as how I fit in sewing, I am now retired and so now I fit everything around my sewing! My husband finished a room in our basement for my sewing room, and that is where I do all my machine work. But I also try to keep a handwork project going, and I do that upstairs in the evenings so that hubby and I can chat and be old folks together. I am loving this SS project so much! 

 

Enjoy the last 6 months of the Splendid Sampler - I know I am going to.

 

Take care....Di

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August 06, 2016

The Splendid Sampler Giveaway!

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In case you haven't heard of it - there is a wonderful Quilt-a-long called The Splendid Sampler which has been organised by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. 100 Blocks that have been designed by 84 designers - and the blocks and their instructions are posted twice a week on the website. This week we have reached the half way point with Block 50 which has been designed by Joanna of Fig Tree Quilts. I have been very fortunate to have my block accepted and it will be up on the website in December. You will have to check back in then to see what it looks like :)

Even though The Splendid Sampler has been going since the beginning of the year, I have only just started to make my blocks. That's the great thing about this quilt-a-long, it doesn't matter when you start or how much you get done, so long as you are enjoying it and learning some new techniques - whatever pace suits you is all that matters. There will be a book published at the end of the year so even if you haven't printed out all of the block instructions, don't worry as you can always buy the book!

So far I've completed 9 blocks. I've chosen a new fabric range called "Fleurs" which has been designed by Brenda Riddle for Moda Fabrics. It will be in stores in October 2016. I love Brenda's fabric designs as her colours are so fresh and pretty.

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A little bit about me - my name is Di Mill and I have the best job in the world! I am a fabric rep in Australia in the state of Queensland, so I spend my days in Patchwork and Quilting stores, showing them the latest fabrics that are going to be released. One of the companies I represent is Moda and receiving a big box of Moda fabric samples is one of my favourite days.  I don't get a lot of time to sew as I travel quite a lot with my job, so this type of project is great for me, as I can sew a block at a time, whenever I have an hour or two to spare.

 

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The Splendid Sampler facebook group is a great place for inspiration. Even though I have only just started to make my blocks, I have enjoyed seeing what everyone else has been making. There are some seriously talented ladies out there!

 

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If you would like to follow me on social media, you will find me on Instagram:

 

My feed

 

and I have a facebook page where I post sneak peaks of upcoming fabric ranges, projects I'm working on and industry news.

 

Facebookpage

 

 

To celebrate the half way point of The Splendid sampler, I'm having a giveaway. I have a Moda bag that has a gorgeous cross stitch design on both sides and a Bella solid Fat Quarter pack to pop into it. I will add a couple of more Aussie treats that will be a surprise to the winner!

 

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Just leave a comment - let me know how you squeeze in sewing/craft time (or extra sewing time) into your day in the comments below to be in the running to win the prize. The giveaway is open until the 9th of August. A random winner will be chosen.

 

Thanks for stopping by....Di

 

 

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July 12, 2016

Moda Designers at Quilt Market Salt Lake City

Has it really been that long since I've blogged? It's a bit sad that Instagram has taken over from by blogging days but I'm hoping to rectify that a bit. So I'm starting off with a video of some interviews I did at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. I was able to grab 10 of Moda's designers and video them showing me their new fabric designs and patterns etc. These fabric lines will be arriving in Australian stores from September to November this year. They are beautiful as always. The video takes about 17 minutes so grab a cuppa and relax and enjoy!

 

Take care....Di

 

Posted at 06:00 AM in Fabric, Quilt Market News, Sewing/Patchwork, Work | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 14, 2015

Me and My Sister Video

Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs have just finished their first 2 days of classes at Patches Indooroopilly in Brisbane. Below is a small snippet of the classes.

 

 

There may still be some spots left at FiFi's Fabricology's class on Wednesday or at Hobbysew and The Remnant Warehouse in Sydney next week so contact the stores to grab your spot if you want a fun enjoyable (and productive) class!!

P.S. there are lots of prizes to be won and extra free projects that the girls have shipped out to Australia just for their classes!!!

 

take care....Di

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July 06, 2015

Me & My Sister Australian Tour

 

It's only a few more sleeps before Barbara and Mary the brains behind the popular Moda design team "Me & My Sister arrive in Australia for a couple of weeks. Barb and Mary will be holding workshops in stores in Qld and NSW.

 

Me and my sister 2

 

Barb and Mary are bright and bubbly, and their classes are so much fun. Below is a list of Stores that are hosting Barb and Mary's workshops:

Brisbane

Saturday and Sunday 11th and 12th July - Patches Indooroopilly ph: 07 38781228 (different workshop each day 10.30 am- 4.30pm)

Monday 13th July - Trunk Show at Patches Indooroopilly ph: 07 38781228 6.30pm

 

Gold Coast

Wednesday 15th July - FiFi's Fabricology ph: 07 55224007 workshop from 9.30am - 4pm

 

Tamworth

Saturday 18th July - Stitches between the Bridges ph: 02 67654138  Trunk Show from

Sunday 19th July  workshop from

 

Sydney

 

Thursday 23rd July - Hobbysew Top Ryde City Store ph: 02 98775067  workshop from 10am - 3pm

Sunday 26th July - The Remnant Warehouse  ph: 02 96987855 workshop from 10am - 4pm

 

Please contact the above stores if you would like to take one of the girls classes.

There are extra gifts and surprises in each class so they are excellent value.

Follow us on Instagram - "Dimill"  as the girls work their way around the East Coast.

Take care...Di

 

 

 

Posted at 01:42 PM in Events, Fabric, Sewing/Patchwork, Work | Permalink | Comments (0)

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August 03, 2014

Fabric Giveaway Winner

Fabric giveawaywinner

 

The winner of the Fabric Giveaway is "Kelliottmagicsss" who entered the competition through instagram. Congratulation Kelly - you parcel of goodies is heading your way.

 

Take care....Di

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July 31, 2014

Thursday Inspiration

 

 

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image source

 

take care...Di

 

 

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July 29, 2014

Fave Finds

 

5 things I'm loving on pinterest this week:

 

  Fave finds 2

1. Storage pockets tutorial  2. DIY Makeup bag  3. Minky baby blanket tutorial  4. Tesselations Quilt designed by Alison Glass  5. gold glitter vases

 

Take care....Di

 

 

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July 25, 2014

Fabric Giveaway

It's Friday and I think this blog is long overdue for a "Giveaway" don't you? The chance to win some lovely fabric bundles is always a winner in my books so here is what I'm giving away this week:

2 fat quarter bundles of Fresh Batiks by Clothworks

1 fat quarter bundle of Everyday Organic Solids by Clothworks

2 mini charm square packs of Quill by Valori Wells for Robert Kaufman.

 

Fabric giveaway

 

Leave a comment for a chance to win. You can double you chances by Following me on instagram and reposting the picture with the tag #dimillsgiveaway.

This competition closes on Friday 1st August at 8am (Australian EST) and winner will be announced at 9am.

 

Good luck!!

 

Take care.....Di

Posted at 02:03 PM in Giveaway | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

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  • Hi, I'm Di Mill, a Freelance Textile Agent. I travel all over Queensland and Nth NSW in Australia with my job and I love it! This is my personal blog! Enjoy!

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