Fabric, quilts & birthdays.

Oh, it’s been too long between posts. Crazy, crazy sale, thank you to all the lovely customers who shopped ’till they dropped. We now have loads more room for the next round of goodies. Can’t wait (she says, rubbing her hands together in glee).

Super sale stash.

Also recently decided that the new Red Letter Days and David Walker Rockets ranges were far too yum to disappear without hacking into them for my own stash. The result?

A cute kinder nap time binkee for my pumpkin…

Tomorrow my wee one turns three- full of attitude, sleeping in a bed and giving up his dummy all by himself.

No more babies.

Sigh.

Fabric Sale

Its our Half Year Fabric Clearance Sale with up to 70% off.

Discounted fabric includes Japanese Kokka and Yuwa, Amy Butler August Fields, American Jane, Moda and many more.

Fabric Sale ends Friday.

New Fabric Range

We’ve got a fabulous new fabric range to tell you about. Its called Red Letter Day by talented designer Lizzy House.

What do you think? The Red Letter Day fabric collection is some of the cutest, most vibrant fabric I’ve seen in a long while. Its perfect for quilting and kids clothing (duck pajamas anyone?).

If you want to see how crafty peeps are using this fabulous fabric range, visit the Red Letter Day flickr pool. There are some amazingly talented people out there!

Lastly there is a FREE pattern using the Red Letter Day Fabric here.

New goodies on the way.

Ordered some new lovelies for the shop today.

The Heather Ross “far, far away” beauties (even better in the flesh) are printed onto double gauze fabric. Lightweight. Wispy. Delightful.

Lots of slightly off the wall Japanese novelties including these piggies:

This echino bird fabric:

And this lovely fabric panel with woodland scene and wild animals:

This is but a taste of what is to come! Excited?

Red, White and Blue.

A little breath of fresh northern hemisphere springtime from my first textile love, Cath Kidston.

Liberty.

Came across this gorgeous photo this evening on blog.freepeople.com

It’s a Purl Patchwork display showcasing new Liberty prints. I love the subtle gradation of colour, the prints, the use of embroidery hoops (not the first time I’ve seen it done, obviously but it just gets me every time!)

Lovelovelove.

Some inspiration for you.

I had to share this inpiring blog with you I’ve just discovered. It is by Kathryn who makes the most beautiful quilts under the label Maggie and Sparrow. I think she has a great eye.

I just adore this image- I absoloutely want an aqua room with a butter yellow armchair!

I’m so inspired, I want to drop all my work and go get pumpkin’s quilt top that I promised to finish him for his fourth birthday (he’s five now, by the way.)

If you’re very clever, you may notice some of the fabric that’s available in the shop. If you’re feeling all re-craft-ergised like me you could pop over and buy some!

That’s what I love about us… we’re always open!

We’ve been busy adding New Fabric!!!

The last several weeks have seen a steady stream of new fabric arriving at our door. Thought you might like to see some of the exciting new bolts of fabric we now have instore.

Pink Circles from Valori Wells lovely Urban Flannels collection

Summer Bubble Flower by Kaffe Fassett

Fuchsia Park Fountains from Amy Butler’s new Midwest Modern 2 collection

Orange Starburst from the Rainbow Gardens collection designed by local talent Prints Charming

Sun Fortune from Anna Maria Horner’s Good Folks collection

More stock is arriving all the time (and I’m putting it onto the site as quick as possible) so keep checking the Fabric Store for updates.

Would love to hear what you think of the new ranges.

Katrina

5 Day Fabric Sale… Now On!!!

Quick fabric store update.

Its been 2 months since we launched our online fabric store, and what better way to celebrate than with a Fabric Sale. We’ve got fabric collections by Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry, Sandi Henderson, Kaffe Fassett, Moda, Valori Wells and many more…

The sale runs for 5 days, with discounts of 10%, 20% and 30%.

Visit the Fabric Sale here.

Small World.

Thanks to Ethel and Fred for the post about Camberwell market. Was so inspired by the button photo that I went on the weekend without the wee bairns and had a proper roam around for two hours with coffee, and muffin. YUM!

Look at my snazzy finds:

Vintage fabric and a too cute tin with crinoline lady on it.

Also can vouch for her coffee haunt as it is my local! Strange but true and even better because it gives me blog fodder (yuck, I don’t think that phrase will take off, it conjours up all sorts of gross images, like the inside of an intestine- or is that just me?)

Tags: coffee, Fabric, market, vintage

Blog More.

I was going to drink lattes and blog. And read other participating blogs. And take photos to blog of all the hugely enjoyable crafty things I am making for the fete stall I am having on the weekend (more of that tomorrow).

But not one post so far has scraped in before 11pm and I haven’t had a single chance to read another blog entry! Also, no craft! Just craft things spread on my kitchen bench, whispering to me siren like as I gaze longingly toward them.

Only a pile of brand new goodies to be popped in the shop between me and it. The goodness of the goodies makes up for it, though. Scooters, planes and cars, matryoshka, birds and fruit. What could be sweeter?

Maybe I’ll get to sip and blog and surf tomorrow. I’d like to make cupcakes too.

Tutorial: How to make a Snooty Birdie

I have been playing around with my Snooty Bird deisgn, tweaking it a little and I thought it might be nice to document it here with photos’n'stuff.

“How to make a Snooty bird” tutorial

First, choose the fabric… oooh, but it’s so hard! I’ve chosen some Farmer’s market by Sandi Henderson.

I’ve made a template using an old manila folder card. It’s easy to cut and quite sturdy, it’s cheap and on hand. I tend to get nervous about using templastic because I don’t want to waste it if I make a boo boo. Once you finish refining the shape, templastics probably the way to go in the durability stakes.

Next, cut out the wings. I’ve freestyled it here, and gone for louder fabric as a contrast. Mmmm, Chocolate Lollipop (the fabric that is- by Anna Maria Horner). I tend to draw the shape I want and then eyeball a (really rough) 1/4 inch seam allowance as I’m cutting (because I am lazy- so, so, so, lazy).

The next step I’ve called lazy basting, because I’ve never basted and this seems like the most economical way to go about it. If you have any nuggets of info for me about basting, please drop me a comment.

I pressed the seam allowance around the shape of the template with the edge of my iron. Then I tacked all the way ’round the seam allowance and tightened, securing the fabric around the template. After this, I popped the template out of the basted fabric and pressed flat. Neato, huh?

This is the inside, so neat and tidy. Next, cut out the fabric for the body of the bird. Fold fabric over right sides facing and pin. Cut around, eyeballing your 1/4 inch allowance.

Next step is to sew the wings on each side, then right sides facing in, pin back together and sew around, leaving a gap big enough to turn inside out and stuff.

Where the fabric curves around (like the beak area), do some snips (careful not to cut through the stitches!) to stop the seam from twisting. Turn in the right way and press.

Stuff with polyfill, or filler of your choice, using a chopstick or skewer to push stuffing into the pointy ends of the birdie.

Using a whip stitch, sew closed as discreetly as possible. Next step is to sew the eyes in place with an embroidery floss using a french knot.

With needle half way through the fabric, wind floss around the needle three or four times. Pull needle through and secure through fabric again. Repeat this perhaps three times until eye is desired size.

Now your birdie is finito! Careful he doesn’t fly away!

Tags: Anna Maria Horner, baste, Fabric, french knot, sandi henderson, snooty bird, tutorial