I’m Lynett, the maker and designer behind LynsAvenue, based in beautiful Melbourne, Australia. I live here with my husband and our two beautiful girls. When I'm not quilting, you’ll find me spending time with my family, listening to audiobooks, watching kids TV (yes, really!), or responding to the constant chorus of "Mum" echoing through the house.

By day, I work full-time as a Social Worker, supporting women and children in the Family Violence and Child Wellbeing space. By night and any moment l can steal in between, you’ll find me sketching quilt patterns, playing with fabric or having fun at my sewing machine.

My quilting journey started quite unexpectedly. I was asked to make a quilt for a friend’s baby shower. At the time, I had recently picked up sewing again, mainly focusing on garments and quilting was a whole new world.

Armed with nothing but curiosity, caffeine, and no clue what I was doing, I dove in. That first quilt lit a creative spark in me, and I haven’t looked back. Designing modern quilts, and bringing them to life using bright, solid fabrics and oversized blocks, brings me the greatest joy.

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

One of the highlights of my quilting journey has been working with FreeSpirit Fabrics as part of their Circle of Makers. It’s stretched me beyond my love of solid fabrics and into the world of prints and unexpected colour palettes. Let me share some of my favourite projects with you.

Bedrock Quilt – A Gift from the Heart

The Vintage Cloth collection by Sew Kind of Wonderful inspired one of my all-time favourite makes: the Bedrock Quilt. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to create at first, I just knew I wanted to highlight the stunning prints. The finished quilt ended up being a gift for my dad.

In my culture, gifting blankets is a tradition. It’s often the first meaningful gift a child gives to a parent, grandparent, or guardian when they start working; as a thank you. Seeing my dad light up with joy, parading his "Lyn’s blanket" and using it every day as a lap quilt, is one of my best moments I have had in this quilting journey.

Solstice Firelight – A Brushstroke Beauty

Next up is the Solstice Firelight table runner, brought to life with the Brushstrokes fabric collection by Shell Rummel. The watercolour feel and perfect palette made it an ideal match for this design. I especially loved using curved blocks; my absolute favourite to sew, for this one. The movement they bring to a quilt is just magic.

My First Garment in 10 Years

When I received the Backyard Wonder collection by Adam Trest, I knew I had to make something wearable. The result, a simple patchwork skirt, was the first garment I’ve made in over a decade! The print designs were just too beautiful, they were calling out to be just that.

My Heart to Yours - The Garden Variety

Working with the Vegetable Patch Collection by Jane Sassaman was the biggest challenge of all. The fabrics are so bright and beautiful, I struggled with what project to make using them. I settled on the My Heart to Yours quilt pattern which l’m quite happy with, the only regret was not making a bigger quilt. I enlarged the pieces to better showcase the large print.

Tips, Tricks, and a Few Words of Wisdom

When I first started quilting, I had no idea how rich and welcoming the quilting community was. Connecting with other makers has made this journey even more joyful and inspiring. So here are a few tips that have helped me along the way:

• Find your people. Surround yourself with fellow creatives who share your passion; it makes all the difference.
• Ignore the quilting police. There’s no one “right” way to quilt. Do what brings you joy and find the methods that work for you.
• Mistakes happen. Don't sweat the small stuff. If your points are not matching, it’s not all lost. Look at it as your artistic signature for that project. But if a mistake keeps nagging at you, don’t be afraid to bring out the seam ripper. You’ve poured time and money into your project; it deserves to shine.

Tutorials to Try

Here are a couple of tutorials I’d love to share with you:

• Sewing Curves Tutorial
  Curved blocks add such movement and beauty to quilts. This is a tutorial to help make sewing curves a bit easier!
• HSTs 32-at-a-Time
  Half-square triangles are incredibly versatile and show up in countless quilt designs. This is a time saving method lets you make HSTs using the 32-at-a-time method.

Connect with me!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynsavenue/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynsAvenue

Website: https://lynsavenue.com/