Sue Daley was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She has 37 years of patchwork experience and has spent the last 23 years running her own business, Sue Daley Designs. She specializes in English paper piecing, traditional quilt piecing, needle turn appliqué, embroidery, and fine hand quilting. Along with her pattern designs, precut paper shapes, acrylic templates, books, and accessories, she is also a fabric designer for Riley Blake Designs and Penny Rose Fabrics under the brand Millhouse Collections. Learn more about Sue on her blog.
Take a peek at Sue’s latest collection, Sweet Stems and learn a bit about English Paper Piecing!
You’ll find navy, pinks, greens, and greys in Sue’s Sweet Stems collection. A beautiful palette filled with lovely florals and vines. This line is so sweet, it comes with its own stories! Pick up the pattern, papers, and templates packets to unfold the designs of sweetwater, dragonfly, or hamlet.
Here is Sue at last month’s Missouri Star Academy event showing off some of her designs using Sweet Stems.
Learn to create fun, new designs by following any of Sue’s Sew-Alongs on her blog. They are easy step-by-step guides that will be super helpful, especially if you’ve never paper pieced before!
If you’re new to paper piecing, let Sue and Jenny introduce you in this short playlist of tricks and tips to get you started!
Valori Wells’ new collection is used in Jenny’s latest tutorial, the Roadmap Quilt. This collection is perfect for the spring/summer seasons and just absolutely beautiful. With so many stunning collections under her belt, we got curious about the inspiration behind Valori’s lastest designs.
Here’s what she had to say about getting her start in fabric design and working her way to her latest collection, Murmur.
“Murmur is my 41st collection of fabric, I have been designing for twenty-one years. My first collection released in 1998 and the fabric was inspired by my black and white photography. Over the years, I have grown as an artist and a fabric designer. I truly didn’t have a clue when I started just out of college with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Photography. I have worked in a variety of different styles and techniques and about four years ago, I decided to mix it up… The first block printed collection was called Marks, designed with my mom, Jean Wells. I haven’t turned back since. I love creating blocks and panels of layered color and design, then interpreting the work into fabric design.”
“Murmur started with the hummingbirds that visit my garden every year. I stand on my chair patiently with my camera, capturing all their glory. By the end of the summer, I tend to have a bazillion images and definitely something magical. Among the hummingbirds, my kids and I plant over 300 sunflowers in our backyard and in pots on the deck. My camera ends up being filled with happy flowers and magical little birds!…”
“When I set out to carve my blocks, I found myself just creating without any fear or demands. I never know what I am going to get. I carve and print and print some more until things start appearing and coming together.”
“… My colors are inspired by nature, mixed with Pantone Home and Fashion colors, and my obsession with indigo and turquoise.”
