Thursday 20 May 2010

Nostalgia, Retro and Feedsack Fabrics


We have twenty new nostalgia, retro fabrics. These are fabrics reminscent of the 20's and 30's of America. These fabrics are sometimes called Feedsack fabrics and a recent article in Sew Hip magazine looked at a brief history of their origin in Depresssion era rural America. Originally used as cloth cotton sacking for dry goods such as grain and feed they were recycled by the women to make clothes. Although there was a certain stigma attached to their use, especially where the writing of the feedsack could still be seen, with increased use, and the marketing of the feed manufacturers themselves, the fabrics became quite desirable.


Friday 7 May 2010

Nancy Halvorsen and Art to Heart



There is a now a dedicated page with Nancy Halvorsen fabrics from Benartex and I have added the new Garden Song range. As well as the fabrics which can be bought in quarter metres, there are two fat quarter packs and a panel. We also have two new project books by Nancy for Art to Heart, Sew Necessary has a number of projects for your craft accessories and tools whilst Garden Song has a number of projects such as quilts, table runners and mats.






Garden Song Panel

Tuesday 4 May 2010

Quilting Arts DVD's

We have four DVD's from Quilting Arts. The DVD's are filmed on the set of Quilting Arts TV and are Surface Design with Lyric Kinard (9963), Master Machine Quilting with Susan Brubaker Knapp (9965), Art Quilt Design with Carol Taylor (9966) and Making Faces with Maria Elkins (9967). Below you can see further details on Master Machine Quilting and a YouTube video of some of the content.



Susan teaches you the basics of free-motion machine stitching, including thread work to enhance the surface and quilting to hold the layers together beautifully. Find out what materials you’ll need and how to get started. Beginners and intermediates—and those who have been too terrified to try until now—will find inspiration and answers, as well as lots of tips, techniques, and practical information to improve their machine stitching. Stitchers of all levels will benefit from Susan’s thorough approach—from her careful consideration of materials and preparation (including advice on how to chill out), to the differentiation between thread sketching and machine quilting. Learn the benefits and purpose for each of these methods, and find plenty of inspiration through Susan’s artful examples.



Moda Jelly Rolls and Moda Fabrics


We have two new ranges from Moda. Rural Jardin is designed by French General who also designed the popular Rouenneries fabric range. We have a Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Pack as well as a fat quarter pack and six fabrics by the metre.



Hunky Dory designed by Chez Moi for Moda is a bright collection of fabrics, featuring lime greens, muted pinks and subtle blues. Again the fabrics are available in Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm pack formats. We also have a fat quarter pack and five fabrics by the metre.



Wash Away Applique Sheets from C&T

New from C&T these Wash Away Applique sheets allow you to Print, cut, fuse, stitch and wash away.

You can print your applique patterns directly onto sheets using your inkjet printer. The stack, staple, and cut up to 6 sheets at once. Fuse the shiny side of the patterns to the wrng side of your fabric for applique and cut out. Then turn under edges of the appliques and stitch to the background fabric. Wash in warm in water and wash away or you can leave in.



25 Sheets • 8 1/2” x 11” • Printable • Water Soluble • Single-Sided Fusible


Draw appliqué motifs or print them on these handy sheets with an ink-jet printer, fuse the paper to your appliqué fabric, sew on the motif, then just wash away the paper after stitching. Appliqués are soft and flexible without the need to cut your quilt or remove freezer paper.