Tiny Tailors...

This absolutely gorgeous panel just arrived!! Based on the children's book "Tiny Tailors", printed on the fabric are instructions to turn it into a soft book. (Soft books don't tear and are completely drool-proof... and they can be washed!).

Strictly limited stocks - we won't be able to get this in again...

Don't you want to teach a little one how to count with this??

I love book panels - they are so much quicker to make than baby quilts. Perfect when you are pressed for time.

Click here to buy this panel before they sell out.

We have been keeping a secret from you...

Well.. not really a secret.... but you will think so once you see these gorgeous prints from the Lincoln Bicentennial range. (1809-2009).


Proudly celebrating Lincoln in this bicentennial year. From Humble beginnings and through his presidency he was dedicated to emancipation, equality and to unifying America as a nation.

We selected all the teals and blues. These will add depth and dimension to your 1800s reproduction quilts.

We also have fat quarter and fat eighth packs available.

Remember these?

These pink chocolate fabrics have been flying out the door... We still have some fabric packs available and some prints on the bolt.




I found this free pattern on the Windham website.
Oooh, I love a basket quilt. These fabrics look fabulous in this quilt!!

Click here for a free download of the pattern.

Hot off the press!

Just in time for Christmas - it's the new book by Australian author Margaret A. Rowe.

Have you read her first book "The Maria Challenge Quilt"?

Fiction written about quilters and their lives, intertwined with real history. (The quilt guild guest speaker tells the story about of the work of Elizabeth Fry on a convict ship as she taught the women and girls to sew and quilt so they wouldn't have to sell their bodies when their prison time was through.)

The novels are self-published and self-promoted, so you may not have heard of these books yet.

We welcome the second novel by Margaret "The Elizabeth Challenge Quilt". Four friends who share a love of patchwork and quilting continue their quilting journey through life, and are challenged again by their Quilt group to create a quilt following certain rules. Their challenge stems from the story of Australia's first lady - Elizabeth Macarthyr and the birth of the wool industry.

What will you do with your 1930s fabrics?

I have always wanted to make a butterfly quilt with mine. The original butterfly quilts I have seen always have the applique stitched with black thread.

Windham fabrics have a free pattern for this quilt. Click here to download the free pattern in PDF format.

Maisy

Vicky made this soft book using the "What are you doing Maisy?" panel.

There are only about 3 panels left - we haven't even had time to get them on the web and they are nearly all gone.

If you would like to buy a Maisy panel for A$15 plus postage, and you can't come into the shop - you can order by phone or email us.

I can't wait to make mine...

I've made a wrap around skirt using the Versatile Wrap skirt pattern.

I used 1800s reproduction fabric, but I think the skirt has a modern feel. It's comfortable and adjustable for those days when you don't feel like being too restricted!! This hot weather has made the skirt my favourite item of clothing.

My skirt took less than 2 hours to make... I've already chosen fabric to make 4 more!! Now, I need to buy some tops to wear with them... LOL!!

Applique wonderfuls

Jenny and Marg both completed beginner samplers to learn to machine piecing. They progressed to learn 12 different types of applique in an applique sampler during UFO sessions with Carol. (Click on the link to our class list - it's on your right).

Jenny modified hers to decorate at Christmas. Christmas buttons adorn every little heart. The centre block was designed by Jenny, inspired by the book "Welcome To the North Pole".

Marg used her own fabric choices to complete a contemporary sample to suit her home. She machine quilted her sample with spectacular results!!

Thanks for the show and tell girls!!

Countdown to Christmas

It's only a week or so until you need to start counting down to Christmas - that's just enough time to make one of these!!The pattern is in the Art To Heart book "12 Days Of Christmas".


The frame to hold the little quilts is in stock and sells for $16.50.

This countdown was made by Annie. I am nearly finished my own to show and tell as well...

Fabric to drool over...

Keep your drooling until you take your fabric home please!!

These jelly rolls are Astor Manor. The charm squares are Martinique. We have a few bolts from the Astor Manor range currently in store. Martinique will arrive next year. We ordered chenille in melon, peach, aqua and cream as well as pleated cotton. These are so pretty and will match so many fabric ranges.
These are pre-release fabrics in jelly rolls and 5 inch squares. It's a new idea from Moda - shops get their pre-cut fabric in earlier in order to make class samples, but the fabric on the bolt doesn't arrive for these ranges until Feb, March or April next year!!

The fabrics above are from the Verna range - jelly rolls and 5 inch squares. Fresh with a Summer feel.

The other refreshing thing about these fabrics are the prices. With the Australian dollar doing so well, these new releases are much cheaper - these new jelly rolls are $53 (other recent releases were up to $72!!). That's an average of $20 per metre - a good deal for new release pre-cuts.

Don't wait until the fabric comes in on the bolt.. it simply won't last that long. I am sure there will be more new products to show you tomorrow...

Loads of new goodies!!

We went to Quilt Market last weekend and ordered some exciting new products!!


These ones arrived already!!

Raspberry Cream has the cutest little stitcheries on it, just in time for Christmas. Four little images: owls hanging their stockings on their nests, jolly Santa, skipping Angel, and an inquisitive reindeer.

You could use these stitcheries to make a swag or make the wallhanging as pictured above.

Sublime Season is another new Christmas design from Cinderberry stitches. It has the four calling birds, three french hens, two calling birds and a partridge in a pear tree - it's all birds! (I just LOOOVE birds in quilts). Stay tuned for more birds in quilty things... LOL!!

Some shops might run this as a block of the month - you get all the patterns in one pack for only $30 (that's cheap as block of the month patterns go)....

Hmmmm. .... I wonder if I can make these in time for Christmas.. oh well, I can do it for next year. LOL!!

Folder Holders

Here are the results of Annie's latest class making a folder cover. All participants finished machine piecing their covers, and just had a little binding to add around the edges.

Annie has some wonderful original designs. She has made a number of folder covers and used one as a quilting journal describing the journey for each quilt. Annie doesn't really "Scrapbook" in that sense of the word, but that is what her quilting journal looks like. Pages showing photos of quilts and the people who received them, sometimes with a thank you note from the lucky recipient.

Annie uses another one to carry project information around in or to take to classes.

Here are our class participants' show and tell from the day. Carolynused this gorgeous cross-stitch given to her by a friend.

This is the inside of the folder cover.

Anne loves chooks. End of story.

These Holly Hobby cross-stitches were straight from the 70s. I love them! They are so pretty and girly with the surrounding fabric. Hmm.. this would make a pretty photo album cover too.

Cheryl learned to applique this year by making the Joy Of Life (see the classlist on the sidebar). Look at this beautiful fussy-cut flower on the front.

Margaret foundation pieced the front of her folder cover.

Margerita stitched her front on an embroidery sewing machine.

These folder covers all reflect individual preferences. How wonderful when we can see so many all together.

Thanks ladies, it was a fun afternoon.

Look out for Annie's folder cover class again next year.

Little Quilts Club

A quick update on Heather's latest Jo's Little Women Club quilt. It is coming together and she will get there. I would like to see the flying geese in the same blue tones as the sawtooth border.

Next year we will be running a different Little Quilts Club.

Here is a sneak peek at one of the 9 quilts we will make next year.

One lesson per month = one little quilt per month. Each quilt measures 16" x 20". What do you do with the small quilts? Apart from hanging them on the wall, stay tuned. I will show you!!

Happy Chappy

This Happy Chappy knows how to pose for the camera.

He is modelling the Lazy Day Hat made by his doting Gran.

This hat it reversible and can be made in sizes xs, s, m and l - fitting newborn to adult.

We just love show and tell. Thanks for sharing with us.

Margaret's quilt

Margaret wanted to make a big quilt in a big hurry, for a little girl.
We combined the Basket Of Flowers panel and co-ordinating fabrics with hot pink batik to make borders.

The quilt was quilted by Deep Creek Quilting in an allover design featuring flowers and dragonflies. This quilt is just too gorgeous. I wish you could see it in person.

Spot the difference

Linda is coming along to UFO sessions on alternate Friday mornings to learn applique.
Can you spot the difference between these 2 blocks she made? Here is a little close-up to help you spot the difference.

This is the first version of the block.

Linda washed it to remove the washout pen, and the blue fabric ran into the background.

This is the second make of the block.

Already Linda's applique improved so much that she prefers the second block in almost every way. That first bird was the colour she wanted to use most.

Linda has now pre-washed all the fabric for her quilt,and vows never to make the same "mistake" again.

We can't wait to see your next block Linda. Maybe we will see 2 different ones next fortnight?

Linda is making this quilt. using fabrics from her stash.

Carolyn's got it wrapped

Carolyn made this fabulous skirt using the Make It Perfect pattern "Versatile Wrap".

I've had the pattern and some fabric in my "to make" bundles for a while now, but I just haven't managed to do it yet...

This skirt is great for Summer (it's a wrap-around skirt), or you can wear it over jeans or pants to brighten up your Winter wardrobe.


We've added quite a few of this Australian designers patterns to our website.
Click here to see some more of her patterns.

Dee's machine quilting

Dee has been coming along to our Friday morning UFO sessions. She started making a log cabin quilt for her Mum a year or so ago, and brought along the abandoned blocks to do "something with". Here they are.

Dee learnt how to measure before adding borders; why we use setting borders; how to construct flying geese; how to spray-baste; how to MACHINE QUILT, and how to add binding.

Congratulations Dee, this quilt is a credit to you. Finished is better than perfect!!

Please join us to gain help with your unfinished projects.

These are held on alternate Friday mornings from 10am-12:30pm or alternate Friday evenings 7pm-9pm. It's only $15 per session to obtain help with the project you are working on. Bookings essential. See our class schedule on the right for more information.

Dear Jane TM fabrics are selling online now

That's right... due to popular request, I have added the Dear Jane TM fabrics designed by Brenda Papadakis (author of the book) to our website so that you can buy them online now.

It's just not possible to enter EVERY single fabric in store onto the web... it's quite difficult to keep up with what we've sold out of.. what's online and so on...

We currently have 860 fabric items entered on our website. (I have another 200 I plan to add on as well...).

You asked for it, and here is a peek at some of the fabrics from the Dear Jane range. The fabrics were inspired by the actual quilt.

Here is a blurb from the Windham fabrics website:

Rich in history, the quilt that inspires the Dear Jane audience was actually made by Jane A. Stickle during the Civil War. She signed her quilt "In War Time 1863".

The masterpiece consists of 169 blocks measuring 4-1/2" square, surrounded by 52 8"x5" triangles and four corner triangles.

But it is more than the variety of the pieced and appliquéd blocks that evoke such strong emotion among "Janiacs".

The quilt has its own unique "aura" that transcends generations, reaching quilters of varied levels of skill, age and style.

The quilters profess a heartfelt, soul-searching experience as they work to create their own unique interpretation of the blocks - a connection to their "sister" Jane.

Here at Quilter's Bazaar half of our staff have made the Dear Jane quilt. You can trust us when you ask us for advice on choosing fabrics or putting your blocks together.