New fabric in store!!

We love Jo Morton's fabrics - and we just received her latest range of 1800s reproduction fabrics. This is the Seneca Shirtings range. What are shirtings?

Shirtings were used to make both dresses and women's blouses in the 1800s - Jane Austen-type dresses were always made of these kind of prints, even though they appear to be all white or cream. Shirtings are good light value fabrics to use with your stash of Civil War and 1800s reproduction fabrics.

Now available by the metre, or in fat eighth packs or fat quarter packs.

Kathryn chose prints from the Farmer's Market range to make the Black Forest bag, and here it is!! This was Kathryn's first attempt at making a bag, and she is hooked. She has plans to make another bag (same pattern, different fabric) for her friend.

Thanks for sharing with us Kathryn!

Ironing and cutting compendium # 2

Annie's class for making her cutting and ironing compendium were sooo popular, we re-scheduled them twice this term!!

We were so busy that I only managed to photograph three items before the participants left with wide smiles to match their "nearly finished" project!!

You are invited to join any of our classes. View a full list for term 3 classes here.

Far from the beginning...

This is Jenny's first quilt top. She chose the fresh green and white fabrics to make a quilt for her daughter.At the moment Jenny is "top" of the 2 classes that are just finishing. Our beginners classes run for 12 weeks and cover all kinds of machine piecing including curves, Y seams, partial seams and piecing diamonds.

We currently have vacancies in our Sunday morning beginner classes, and will start enrolments for new beginner's classes during the week very soon (to be advised).

Well done Jenny!

Dear Jane fabric designed by Brenda Papadakis

This is the Dear Jane TM (trade-marked) panel. It's a photograph of the centre of the Jane Stickle quilt (also known as Dear Jane), which has been printed onto fabric.

So, what can you do with this panel? Make a tote bag to carry all your sundries while you make your own "Dear Jane" quilt.
OR
cut out each block and put them in the centre of pieced blocks like Betty has done.

Betty used the Dear Jane TM fabric range designed by Brenda Papadakis (we still have some in store) to piece the rest of the blocks, then mixed a few pieces from her stash with it.

Betty has pieced all the blocks, aren't the colours just brilliant together?

Betty had fun picking the blocks from her new book 501 Rotary Cut Blocks - I wonder where she bought that from??

Thanks for making us your favourite shop Betty. We love seeing your quilts as they progress.

In only 3 weeks...

Paula foundation pieced this quilt and joined the blocks together in only 3 weeks!! Yes you read that correctly.

What a power!! Would you believe she had 2 pieces of the dark red left over at the end. They were both only 2" x 3".

Now that's great for saving space. My leftover scraps seem to take up as much space as the original fabrics as they never fold as well in little pieces. LOL!!

Thanks for sharing with us Paula.

The quilting bug.. er.. butterfly...

Linda nearly needs her own blog! She thrives on making and sharing her love of quilts. It's hard to believe that less than 2 years ago, she was free of the quilting bug... It's just as well she caught it!!



All of Linda's quilts feature butterflies somewhere in them: quilting, applique or fussycut. The picture above shows a close-up of this quilt with the fussy-placement of the butterfly in the centre.

As always, we look forward to seeing more of your show and tell Linda.

Little Women too

Heather made these dresses for Bastille Day celebrations at the girls' school. Well.. I say girls, but really they look like Little Women don't they?

The details are exquisite, yet the dresses are comfortable to wear.

Hayley and Audrey came in for "ladies afternoon tea" after school.

Maybe Heather can now finish her "Little Women Club" projects???

Thanks for sharing with us Heather.

Jo's Little Women Club day group

Di loved making this Little Quilt as part of Jo's Little Women Club. She had finished the top within a week!! It's great to do some little projects now and then, and achieve a few "finishes".

Di has her quilt hanging at home.

Judy's quilt is fresh and spritely - made using the Lucinda's Needle range.


Judi used the chrome yellow to great effect. The vertical bars really work in this strippy quilt.

Judy chose warm colours, with the emphasis on the green sashings and border.

Isn't this a great study into the effects of different colour placement in quilts? These quilts are made from fat quarters (including the back and the binding!!).

This month we started to applique the centre of the medallion quilt. I can't wait for next month's show and tell!!

Jo's Little Women Club

Jo's Little Women Club part 9 is currently running in the store. Participants purchase a stack of Jo Morton fat quarters (1800s era fabrics designed by Jo Morton) for $125, then for only $5 each month they come along to a class where we start a Little Quilt.

Jo Morton designs Little Quilts, so we have the name "Jo's Little Women Club".

The Club runs for 6 months. During that time, participants attend 6 classes and receive 6 patterns. This is Jo Morton's 9th series, although this is our first time. In this series there are 2 little quilts and 1 little-ish medallion that is in 4 installments.

Here are the night group's versions of the first installment - the "patriotic strippy quilt".

Rosie's quilt top in pink and brown.

Wow! Tracee, this is definitely a patriotic quilt!



Close-up of Rosie's fabrics.

Close-up showing how Rhonda fussy-cut borders and black squares.

The colours in the quilts are fabulous.

Annie even quilted hers exactly as suggested by Jo Morton in the pattern.

Elizabeth hasn't quite finished her quilt top yet, and Sandra is completing her Little Quilts in Queensland, we patiently await her photos while she moves house.

You too can join Jo's Little Women Club online, no matter whereyou live. We would love to see pictures of your little quilts!!

Sheri Berry Holiday fabric

Have you seen the latest issue of Homespun? (It's the Christmas in July issue with lots of cute Christmas projects inside!).

There is a full page advertisement for this Christmas fabric - Sheri Berry Holiday. What a surprise!!

Here it is on our shelves... too cute for words! It's fresh, clean and crisp. Just perfect for an Aussie Christmas in the heat.

Andrea made a table-centre which features in our Christmas In August festival. Click here to see the class list.
You can view each of the fabrics in more detail on our website. The fabrics are available by the metre or in fat quarter packs or fat eighth packs.

Recipe for Friendship

Linda loves the book "9-patch-pizzazz"- we are currently sold out, but this is the book's sister Rectangle Pizzazz.Linda designed this quilt using the principals set out in the 9 patch pizzazz book using the Recipe For Friendship fabrics and panel.

What a great way to use this gorgeous panel! I was thinking of using the 2 segments with friendship sentiments on as opposite sides of a bag, or pockets for a bag.

Thanks for the show and tell Linda (she mustn't sleep! Really she mustn't!! *shaking head*)

We have wool!!

Did you know that we have a selection of luxurious yarns and wools? Fibres include cotton, viscose, alpaca, and merino wools.

This is the Del Cerro wool - 100% merino. This is an example of how it knits up.

Aren't Linda's cables divine? When you see the knitting close up you can see the halo of little merino fibres adding a softening touch to this cardigan for a 2 year old.

Thanks for sharing your knitting with us Linda - I really don't know how Linda finds the time!!

William Morris fabrics

40 bolts of William Morris fabrics by Barbara Brackman arrived yesterday.

They have been selling like crazy both on the web and in store. We cannot get our hands on any more of the fabric at the moment - I am hoping it will come in again. A couple of bolts are nearly empty already, and there is only one layer cake left.

Don't they look beautiful!!
Click here to purchase jelly rolls, charm packs, fat eighth packs and fat quarter packs.

But make sure you are quick!!

Jean's windmills

We can't decide whether this is Jean's first or second quilt! I think it will be the first one she has finished, although she is nearing the end of her beginner's quilt class!!


Jean and I joked that this photo was a little like Foo peering over the wall. I will always think of this quilt with the name Le Fou now... I wonder what Jean will name it.

The pattern is from this book Strip Crazy. Somehow when I was taking this photo, the camera has focussed on the carpet instead of the book!! I only noticed it on this screen - it's too small to notice on the digital camera!! Anyway, the book is full of patterns for using with jelly rolls.

Here is a photo of the original quilt.

Jean has already added the borders, and is ready to hand it over to Wilma for quilting - just as soon as she has shown it to "the teacher" in her class on Monday!! Jean says she wants to be "teacher's pet". Jean is planning her next quilt already. A born quilter! Who would have thought she would stumble upon making quilts when she popped in not even 3 months ago!!

Chenille it quick!!

Do you know how to make a faux chenille quilt? It's so easy!! It's all about fraying your fabric.



Layer your fabrics on top of each other (2 or 3 works well) and sew straight lines on the diagonal of your fabric (it always works best on the diagonal as it is on the bias).Then cut through the top layers of fabrics between the sewn lines. Make sure you don't cut through the bottom layer. In this customer's quilt the bottom layer is red.

Join the squares together in a pleasing arrangement. You can place the seams on the front to create raggy seam edges or you can conceal the seams on the back, then add a backing fabric.

It's 3 or 4 layers of fabric - you don't need to use a batting.

Faux chenille is a great way to hide those fabrics you used to like, but just don't want to use in a quilt anymore.

Isn't it funny how we sometimes "row out of "fabric? Quick! Make the fabric into a quilt while you still like it. Then, enjoy the quilt, love it, and give it to a special Aunty (that's what I did with one of mine...)

12 fat quarter quilt update

The quilt pictured is the second quilt Wendy has made. This was her first one.

Sophie models the quilt here -she won't let go of it! As soon as she saw the quilt top her Mum made in the 12 fat quarter class she claimed it!!

Wendy has already quilted it on her own machine, and added the binding.

I'm sure Wendy won't be shaking off the quilting bug in the near future!!

You can make a 12 fat quarter quilt too. Join us in a whole day class. Click here to see our class schedule.

Another way to feature quilt fabric

Fleur used fusible web for the first time when she ironed this vintage toy motif onto a baby singlet.

The singlet had to be stretched slightly before the image was ironed on - otherwise the singlet goes on and it doesn't stretch in the middle.

The monkey is just one of the vintage toy motifs on the Toybox fabric print. These prints are now on sale for only $14 per metre!!

Fleur is now addicted!! She came in to buy more fabric as she has lots of requests for similar items from friends.

I saw a baby Bonds skivvy with quilt fabric fused and sewn on in a clothes shop -it was $40.

Term 3 2009 classlist

As promised, here is a link to our term 3 classlist.

http://www.quiltersbazaar.com.au/QB%20classes%20term%203%202009.pdf

The class list was emailed this evening, and already some classes are half full (we take up to 8 participants).

Please read the class policy within the document.

Here is another peek at an upcoming class. It's a Christmas table-centre in fresh, fun Christmas prints that won't look too heavy next to fruit salad and ice-cream plum pudding!! Yes, it's a Summer Christmas!!

More details are in the class list document.

Who's looking at you?

These gorgeous hobby horses have cheeky grins... aren't they cheerful!!
Made and designed by Annie, you can learn how to make your own hobby horse.

Class dates:

Saturday 29th August 1pm-4pm

OR

Sunday 27th September 1pm-4pm

Tuition: $25 plus requirements.

I will post a link to our complete class list tomorrow.